Spiraling Love
by Fearless.Stargazer
Summary: Lily has known  and loathed  James forever...could he finally win her heart? Sev has loved Lily for years...will he make her his? What secrets are Sirius and Dumbledore hiding?Story of theSev/James/Lily love triangle and magical love.LE/JP LE/SS RL/SL RL/SB AD/OC
1. The Love Letter

It was well past midnight by the time that Lily descended the winding girl's dormitory staircase. She had spent many hours lying awake in her bed, deciding whether or not to go. She had bit her lip for hours, letting her mind wander around the possibilities. _What would happen if she went? Was it just a trick? What if she got hurt? What if she was making a big mistake?_

It had all begun with a note that she had received well walking along the lake. A simple piece of parchment written on in cramped, black letters.

She had been wandering barefoot along the lake's edge, letting her long red hair fly freely in the wind. Utterly alone and savoring the sunlight, she had been thinking about Severus and what he had once meant to her. She was pondering their broken friendship, devising ways to heal the wounds that had until now only festered. She had shed far too many tears for Snape, and missed his company more than she could ever admit. At one point, she had even thought that their friendship had been…something more.

Just as Lily resolved to meet Severus later that day under their once-favorite place of study-a large elm tree-and forgive him, the note fluttered out of nowhere and into her hands. It was a small thing, the note. The parchment was intricately folded into the shape of a flower (Lily suspected that its shape of the parchment was not coincidental) and dotted with tiny _L.E._s at the tips. When she unfolded it, the air took around her fingers took on a slight shimmering quality. She admired the intricate spell that the writer must have cast on the parchment to make such a thing happen. She let her large, shimmering green eyes peruse the page. It read:

_Lily-_

_I know that I've asked you a dozen times, but will you _please _go out with me? I like you a lot, you know. I think that (and Sirius would humiliate me to no end if he found out that I'd told you this) you're beautiful. But that's not the only reason that I like you. You're funny and smart and cast the best stunning spell that I've ever seen (and experienced). You've got spunk and aren't afraid to let everyone know what you think. I know that whoever you end up dating someday will be a very lucky guy (and maybe I'll be that lucky?). At this point, I'll only ask you out once more, meet me in the Common Room at Midnight. _

_-James_

Another request for a date. From James. Lily had turned him down countless times, each time that he asked. But this was different. Whenever he had asked her out before, it had always been in front of his friends or when he was showing off. At these times, Lily felt that by accepting his offer, she would be accepting the role of a trophy. She thought that the only reason he had wanted her was so that he could show her off and brag.

His intentions had always seemed shallow and self-centered. Never had he, or any other boy for that matter, admitted that she was smart or that she could cast superb spells. And no one, _no one,_ had ever truly called her beautiful. The closest that she had ever come to being deemed beautiful was the time in her fourth year when she had gone to Hogsmeade with Severus in early June, wearing a new blue sundress that her mother had sent her. The whole trip, all Severus did was stare at her and stutter. The whole day, he was only able to muster three concise words-"You look nice."

Lily had returned to her common room hurriedly, needing the privacy and solidity of her four poster bed. In the front of the portrait hole, she saw Severus. He seemed to be waiting for her. She walked towards him slowly, unsure whether he was there to apologize again, or to do battle.

She walked up to the portrait and leaned against the wall.

"What's up, Sev?" She made her voice level, betraying no emotions. She feared that if he had come only to slander her (as he had been doing so often lately), emotion and forgiveness would betray weakness. He would come and wait for her, ready to once again to attempt apology, and would then chicken out and say something blasphemous or rash. He had always been sort of nervous under pressure when it came to Lily.

"Lily I-" Severus began, his voice filled with sadness and remorse. Suddenly, something caught Lily's eye-it was a figure running hurriedly towards them.

"I…wanted to apologize-" But he was cut off by a loud voice calling, "HEY EVANS!"

"Oh, no!" Lily sighed fearfully.

"_EVANS!"_ James had almost reached the portrait hole by the time that Lily had crawled through it, yelling "Sorry, Sev! We have to talk later!" over her shoulder. She ran up the girl's staircase as James tried to catch up with her.

"Lily! Did you get my-" His sentence was cut short by a cry f surprise as the staircase turned into a slide beneath him and shot him back to the common room floor. Lily could not help but giggle as James tried to pick himself up off the ground, running his hand through his messy hair absentmindedly. He opened his mouth and looked up to see her red hair and the tails of her cloak disappear as she turned into her dormitory from the landing. He was so in love with her at that moment that all he could do was sit, staring at the stairs, and replay her laughter over and over in his head.

A mere 100 yards away, however, a rather disgruntled Severus Snape had conjured a wooden chair out of thin air. He sat himself down next to the Fat Lady, who was indulging in some chocolates with her friend Violet.

"Ah, young love." The fat Lady said rather dreamily-or drunkenly. Snape couldn't decide which of the two words described the flightiness of the Lady's tone more appropriately. "You can fall in love in an instant. It's letting go that takes time." She looked rather blearily at Severus, who had by now decided that there was more than just milk and cocoa in the Fat Lady's chocolates.

In response to the Lady's proclamation, Severus crossed his arms and looked away. As the Fat Lady and her friend began to doze off, Severus conjured a mirror using his wand and was now trying to desperately fix his hair. He knew that Lily would come out for dinner soon, and he had to stage the perfect apology in order to win her friendship back. And-as he had begrudgingly learned from James Potter-images were sometimes everything.

He took a small vial out of his pocket. Inside it was some pink and sparkling potion. Snape had made it just for the occasion. It would render the drinker completely flawless in appearance. Make them completely handsome and dashing. But Severus knew that he could never use it in front of Lily. Lily, after all, was quite an accomplished potioneer, and would see through his façade immediately. Besides, hadn't Lily once told him that it was what was on the inside that counts? Screw James Potter and his stupid good-looking arse! Lily belonged to _Severus. _Or she was going to, anyway. After he confessed his true feelings and made sure she knew that his insides were nothing like his greasy hair and pale complexion…surely she would like him…? Maybe even…love him?

Severus pondered this as he slipped the vial back into his cloak. With a sudden stab of misgiving, he decided that he needed some reassurance-a bit of luck-to win Lily's heart. He removed a second vial-one that he had concocted several months ago and had since then carried on his person twenty-four hours a day seven days a week in case he should need it. The glass vial held a merrily bubbling, golden brew that shined in the sunlight of the corridor. He smiled slyly as he unstoppered the vial and took a tiny sip of the Felix Felicis, one of his best accomplishments to date. He knew that the dose he was taking would last him till about midnight, but that would have to be enough. He took another tiny drop. Instantly he felt warmth spread through his body and felt as if he could do nothing wrong. So what if James Potter was chasing after Lily like she was some trophy or goddess? SO what if he and Lily had not been on speaking terms for several months! He was going to fix this-fix everything! After he took a stroll through the castle…


	2. Teenage Angst

James sat like that for a while, staring at the place that she had vanished as he sat contently on the floor. Girls threw him strange looks as they passed to walk up the staircase, but James was too intoxicated with the reverberations of Lily's laughter inn his brain to care. She had laughed _at_ him. Just the thought filled him with joy. He would not wait until midnight to see whether or not she liked him back! As soon as she came down those stairs to go to dinner…he'd ask her again…in person…

"Will you go out with me tonight?" he pictured himself saying to her, actually whispering the words aloud to himself as he pictured her giggling and saying-

"Of course!" James eyes snapped open as he turned a deep scarlet. Sirius Black was kneeling down before him, dark hair combed back handsomely.

"I'll just have to find something to wear!" Sirius said sarcastically, pulling James off the floor and leading him over to a group of armchairs by an empty fireplace.

"Come on, mate! She's _just_ a girl! There are, like, _hundreds_ of them in this school. Take your pick and just get on with your life!" He said, winking at Lucy Hawcraft as she walked by and giggled.

"She is _not_ just any girl! She's-"James began, heating up.

"_Lily Evans_." Said Remus lazily, as he flipped the page of his Transfiguration textbook. It was clear that the three had had this conversation several times before.

"Your obsession's going a bit far, if you ask me." Sirius nodded his head, agreeing with his own statement. "James, I pride myself in being an expert in all matters concerning love. You see, women like it when you give them what they want. They're all the same. You take them out to dinner…maybe kiss them a couple of times…and then move on. If you don't go through girls quickly, you get too attached and then-Bam! She ends it. You always have to be a step ahead, you can't let a woman control you like this!" Sirius made a face as Peter Pettigrew walked over, beaming up at them all reverently.

"What are you talking about? Has Lily finally said-"But he was silenced by a harsh look from Sirius as Lupin continued to read.

James slumped into the armchair adjacent to Remus'.

"What am I going to do! What if she doesn't say yes-"

"James-stop agonizing. Grow up a bit, mate. If it's meant to happen, it will." Remus closed his textbook. "Don't act like such a baby. Sniffling won't get you a date with Lily." Lupin's soft eyes were rather red as he said the words roughly.

"Now I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to dinner. I'm quite famished and we have a potions essay due tomorrow that you all need to finish." With that, Lupin walked rather heatedly out the portrait hole.

"What's gotten him?" Peter asked, whipping his eyes absentmindedly.

But neither James nor Sirius answered him, as they both ran after their friend. Peter shrugged confusedly and went to go snoop through Lupin's trunk so that he could copy his potions essay.

"Remus! Hey-Remus! Where'd you go!" James called down the corridor.

"Moony?" Sirius' yell echoed through the hall as well as the two walked down the hall, looking into spare classrooms for their friend. After opening a few more doors, Sirius called out to James-"He's in here!"

James followed Sirius into the deserted classroom. In the corner, sitting in an old student chair was Remus. His head was on top of the desk, covered by his hands as he shook with quiet sobs.

James approached his friend cautiously.

"Remus…what's wrong mate?"

But Lupin didn't answer-he just kept his face hidden as tears poured from his eyes.

Sirius walked over too and he and James patted Lupin awkwardly on the back until he sat up, sniffling. His eyes were red and puffy, still leaking a bit in the corners. And his lightly colored brown hair was in disarray as he tried to avoid James' gaze.

"What's up, mate?" James tried again. He had never seen his friend so upset.

Remus took a few rasping breaths before shaking his head no in reply.

"Come on, Moony. Tell us what's got you all upset." Sirius said, a little sarcastically. It was as close to sympathetic as Sirius could get.

After a few more minutes of coaxing, Remus finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You don't know what it's like-both of you. You can have any girl you want. Any girl would love to date either of you…the amazing James Potter and Sirius Black…and then there's me…"

"What are you warbling about, Moony? You know perfectly well that Amanda Bones would _kill_ to date you…Moony? Are you listening?"

Lupin glared reproachfully at Sirius.

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU STUPID GIT!" Remus stood and kicked the desk angrily across the floor.

"I don't _want_ to be Moony! I don't _want_ to be a Werewolf! Any girl that I like is in danger-I'll never be able to get married! I'll never be able to get a decent job! I'll never be able to have children!" Lupin covered his eyes with his hands, looking crazed and livid.

"Moon-Remus-we didn't know that you felt that way." James frowned sympathetically as Lupin sat back down.

"I'm sure you'll find a girl, though! You can handle your furry little problem like you do here, at Hogwarts-" Sirius began, cut off by Lupin's bitter laughter.

"You really think any girl would feel comfortable around _me?_ Knowing full well what I _am_?And besides, even if one did…It's not as if I can just carry around a Whomping Willow with me whenever I need to transform!"

James stood, confirming to himself that talking to Lupin would not make any difference. Lupin needed some time to cool off. "Remus-it's just like you said. 'If it's meant to happen, it will.' But honestly…you're acting the part of the baby, not me." He walked smartly out of the classroom. Lupin stared forward, in disbelief as James turned out of view, Sirius on his tail. He closed the door behind him, leaving Remus staring at the wall.

"We can't just leave him, Prongs." Sirius said to James, concerned. They walked a little further down the corridor. There was an explosion from behind them, coming from the classroom where James and Sirius had left their friend.

"Yes, we can. He needs to work this out himself. There's nothing we can do until he comes to his senses. We'd probably just end up like that desk."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully as he and James made their way back to the common room, passing a group of giggling girls. They were walking quickly, as if they were trying to avoid any contact with the two boys. Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius saw a flash of red hair, and elbowed his best friend out of a reverie. "Wha-? Oh…_Oi! Evans!_" The girls sped up, walking towards the direction of the great hall. Lily Evans broke into a run as James attempted to follow.

"Come on, Lily! I just want to talk!"

"_Impedimente!"_ James appeared to be running in slow motion as Lily sped up and rounded a corner, out of sight.


	3. Crazy In Love

**Hey! FearlessStargazer here! So, what do you think so far! James seems to really like Lily...but does she like him back? And what will Severus do about all the feelings that he's been hiding from Lily all these years? I wrote this chapter some months ago and I hadn't planned it to happen as it did. The relationship between Lily and Severus heats up-and I didn't originally intend it to! So, let's see where this goes, shall we? Please review! I'll never be able to finish this if I don't know what you all think! Thanx so much and enjoy! :)**

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><p>Lily was not sure what had made her do it, but casting the spell had felt like the right thing to do. She had not yet sorted out her feelings, and needed more time to think. She rounded the corner and flew into an empty classroom down the corridor to escape James. She gasped. Desks were overturned and wood fragments strewn across the floor. One of the walls was blackened and covered in soot, and another was steaming with smoke.<p>

"What happened in here?" She whispered quietly to herself, sitting down at one of the desks that had been left standing. She rested her chin on her hand and looked around once more, wondering if the person that had destroyed the place had been as confused when it came to love as she.

Severus had followed his first instinct when he had drunk the Felix Felcius-to walk down through the castle corridors. He was half-way to the library-a favorite haunt of his- when he heard a loud cackle and felt three gallons of water poured onto his head and robes.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" He screeched as the icy water crept down the back of his robes and soaked his greasy hair.

He looked up to see Peeves zooming away, toting a large silver bucket behind him and cackling.

Severus whipped the cold water from his eyes and withdrew his wand from his sleeve.

"_Exaresco."_ A hair-drier like warm air billowed from Severus' wand and dried out his hair and robes, leaving both significantly less dirty than they had been before.

He combed his hand through his hair as he had seen James Potter do many a time. He pulled the black bangs out of his eyes dull eyes, still feeling as though he could do nothing wrong. He felt as if he were one of those muggle comic book heroes that the bullies that had lived near him on Spinners End read.

Empowered and intoxicated by the Felix Felicis, he turned around and began to walk back towards the Gryffindor common room. He did not know why exactly, but he knew that he had to walk down the corridor again.

As he made his way back towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, he passed a group of giggling Gryffindor girls being pursued by a slowly running James Potter (Sirius Black was somewhere ahead of him). He glanced at the group, searching in vain for Lily, but saw not one girl with red hair. James Potter looked as if he were running in slow motion. Potter did not even seem to notice Snape as he passed him. Severus saw this as a great opportunity, and pointed his wand at James, whispering "_Gelo." _Instantly, James froze in mid-step.

"Hello Potter." Severus said, strolling around so that James could see him clearly. "_Wingargieum Leviosa!" _James flew up into the rafters and hovered there as Severus spoke to him.

"Shall I release the spell? Drop you? You know how much joy it would bring me to see you suffer." Severus spoke the words aloud-watching James' eyes fill with fear.

"I think I'll leave you for now and decide later…see you Potter."And with a flick of his wand, a thin rope curled its way around James' arms and legs, binding his already frozen form to one of the wooden support beams holding up the hall.

He turned and walked away, towards the Fat Lady, when a new sound made him stop. It was neither James nor the drunken Fat Lady that had made the noise, but something-or _someone_-else. Severus walked up towards an old wooden classroom door and peered into the misty, dusty glass. He saw someone sitting with their head down on a desk, kicking another, overturned one quietly.

He was about to move on and leave the indistinguishable figure to sulk alone, but something (definitely his lucky potion) told him to enter the room. And so, he did.

With a silent swishing of his robes, Severus Snape entered the abandoned classroom, only to see Lily Evans laying her head on the desk.

"Lily?" He asked in a soft voice, feeling unprepared yet confident.

Lily looked up, her eyes a tiny bit red. "Sev?"

"Yes, Lily, it is me. I came to apologize-to ask for your forgiveness-one last time."

He looked curiously into her eyes, as if he would find an answer within them.

"But, that doesn't matter right now. Before you tell me whether or not you can forgive me-tell me what's wrong." He said gently, drawing a chair with his wand and sitting down next to her, as he had always done when they were younger.

She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I'm not truly sure, Sev. I'm just so confused." She said barely audibly, so quietly that Severus had to strain to hear her.

"Well, then let's talk about it." How many times had he uttered those very words to her before? Hundreds, maybe. When she was confused with antidotes and potions, he'd explained them to her. When she couldn't perform a spell correctly, he'd practiced with her. When she could not complete an essay on time, he'd let her copy from him. Whenever she was confused or scared, he'd say "let's talk about it." They had always worked things out, talked it through. Together, they had been unstoppable. And then he had left her. He had called her a "mudblood." HE had ruined his life by destroying his bond with the single most important person in his life.

But he was about to make up for it, he was going to win her back yet. And no one, not even _Potter_ was going to stop him from mending the snapped friendship. Somewhere he remembered reading-perhaps it was in one of his Dark Magic Books-that once a dark curse or spell had broken a wand, it could not be mended. _If wandlore applies to life_, Severus thought excitedly,_ I am about to prove some theories wrong._

"Well…you see…I got a letter this afternoon…" Lily looked into his black eyes with her green ones, overwhelmed. She hadn't been able to keep the words from tumbling out of her lips. She needed to tell_ someone_ of the dilemma she faced. Severus had always been the only person that she had trusted completely. But she was not sure whether or not she could trust him anymore.

"Yes, and?" He coaxed, placing one of his hands on hers. "Who was it from?" He prompted. "What did it say?" Her hand felt warm to the touch, and it sent a jolt of electricity through his arm and into his heart. He recalled a muggle rock band song that he had once heard on the radio in Spinners End.

_Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Lily looked up to him; eyes filled with fear, and whispered, "You don't want to know. I know you, Sev. Please, don't make me tell you anymore." With a sudden pang, she realized that Severus thought of her as something more than a friend (she had always suspected it-but the handholding had confirmed it.) She couldn't bear to hurt Severus, and she knew that the information that she was holding in her mind would cause him more pain than any cruciatus curse or dark hex could ever inflict.

"No, Lily, it's alright. You can tell me _anything_. I hope you know that. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting and for any sorrow that I may have caused you." His voice broke, and Lily saw those cold Snape eyes betray a glimmer of weakness. His face contorted and his façade dropped. He was no longer Severus Snape, the haughty Half-Blood Prince whose heart was cold as stone, but Sev, Lily's best friend. Lily saw the change come over him, and smiled despite the tiny tears that now tickled the edges of her cheeks.

"I promise promise _promise_ that I will never betray you again. _I love you Lily Evans_." He whispered.

Lily considered him in silence for a few seconds, before reaching forward to brush the stray bangs out of his eyes. "Your hair…it's different. You look very handsome, Sev." She whispered, as she leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips.

Severus sat for a second, frozen as Lily Evans kissed him, fireworks blaring in his head, drowning out all conscious thoughts and misgivings. He started to kiss her back, slowly at first, and then a bit more fiercely in response to the rapid beating of his heart. He leaned forward and put a hand in her long, red hair and closed his eyes. He was losing himself in the blissful moment of a dream come true.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds before they both broke apart. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. The piercing blackish eyes now a pale gray as they stared back into the luminous green ones. Lily felt even more confused than before.

She broke the silence. She stood up and walked slowly past Severus, leaning down cautiously to whisper into his ear, "_I love you too, Severus Snape."_ She ran back to the common room, leaving a stunned Snape to stare at the blackened classroom wall in disbelief.


	4. Clinging to the Rafters

James had not seen the spell coming at all. Slowly running after Lily, he hadn't noticed the resolute Snape slither sneakily from the shadows and cast a spell as his back was turned. _What a coward._ James thought bitterly as he silently struggled against the magical bonds that Snape had placed on him. Only a puny and insignificant wizard cast a spell on an opponent when the latter was unaware. _How weak._

James stood, bound to the rafters, looking down at the passing Gryffindors as they made their way towards dinner. Frozen in time, he could neither blink nor feel the pains of hunger and thirst. He could, however, feel boredom. It was a horrible sensation, feeling bored and not being able to do a thing about it. The only thing that he had to entertain himself was the few centimeters of space in his head. And so, he thought of the countless quidditch maneuvers and plays that he had performed in the past few years. He analyzed each player's moves and plays repeatedly until he began to notice patterns in the different styles of the Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. _The dominant Slytherin chaser always threw the ball to the third chaser after a bluff throw to the second. The Ravenclaw seeker always checked the goalposts first when looking for the snitch. The Hufflepuff beaters always went for the tallest chaser first with the bludger._ And the more that James thought about it, the more he was able to detect flaws and patterns within his own game plans.

After about a half hour of hanging like that, James heard and out of sight door shut and then the tapping of footsteps as someone ran in his direction. He doubted that whoever it was would notice him. It would probably be about a week or so before they all started to look for him in earnest. Disappearances happened often at Hogwarts, but the student or teacher always turned up eventually.

James was right; the person who was coming towards him at a run did indeed not notice him. But he definitely noticed her. It was Lily Evans. The most beautiful girl in the world.

She ran, hands over her heart, red hair streaming like a plume of dragon's fire behind her. Tiny tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as James silently screamed to her for help. But it was the tears in her eyes that broke his heart. James wondered why she was crying and what could have possibly hurt her so badly that she was now running to take refuge in the common room.

James felt his fierce Gryffindor pride take hold of him. He was angered and longed to fight whatever evil had his love crying out in such pain. He wanted to duel the dung-head who had made her cry. He wanted to take her into his arms and make her feel better. He wished that he could kiss her-just once-and take all her pain away.

James had never felt so focused and wistful in his whole life. He gazed at her receding form and watched her as she climbed through the portrait hole. Being alone in silence had taught him of the power of concentration.

_Maybe, if I concentrate hard enough…_James envisioned himself doing wandless magic and breaking the bonds that held him to the rafters. He did not care about injury or falling. All wounds could be healed as far as he was concerned.

_Focus….Focus…_ James willed the ropes to break, the spells to release him and allow him to plummet to the shining floor.

But nothing happened-not even a single spark flew from the wand that now rested in his pocket.

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><p><strong>Yeah...short chapter :) hope you don't mind! Well, James is pretty mushy and in love with Lily... Please review! What do <em>YOU<em> think will happen! I really want some oppinions on this so if u have a sec-leave a word. :P thanx! Enjoy ;D**


	5. The Second Love Note

Lily Evans ran up to her room and threw herself into her four poster bed, pulling the dark red hangings around her.

_"What am I going to do!" _She whispered shrilly into her pillow, unafraid anyone else would hear her as the other girls were at dinner.

"_Is it possible to love two people at once!"_ But her question was left unanswered-a breath left hanging in the wind.

Lily tried to sort through her feelings, coming up with nothing. She was in love with Severus, that much she knew. She had always loved him somewhere deep inside her heart. She had never anticipated that love to take the form of anything more than friendship, however.

She also knew that, for some odd reason, she was in love with James. Her tiny crush that she had so carefully hidden throughout the years behind taunting and refusals had developed into something more as soon as Lily had read that letter a few hours ago.

She pulled the letter from her robes pocket and smoothed it out. And to think that she had just kissed Severus with a love note from his enemy resting in her pocket! She felt ashamed.

She sat in silence for the next few hours, contemplating her next move. It was all strikingly familiar to a complex chess game. No matter what move she made, someone was bound to be hurt.

She contemplated telling Severus the truth about James' love note. Suddenly, there was a knock at her window pane. She got out of her bed to see a tiny white owl bearing a dark black envelope. She opened the window hastily as it hopped in, dropping the letter into her waiting hands. In blood red ink on the cover of the envelope was the single word _Lily_ with an embellished rose beside it.

She hurriedly opened the envelope, heart beating quickly as she did.

_Dearest Lily,_

_ I must speak to you soon. Please meet me tonight, under the stars. I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard under the Gryffindor tower. Midnight._

_ -Severus T. Snape_


	6. Debates and Chance Meetings

As his friend James hung from the ceiling and Sirius chased after girls, Remus was running. Running to the second safest place he knew; the first being the Shrieking Shack. Skirting several corners and skidding through hallways to escape the tiny singed classroom, Remus finally made it to his destination. Pacing three times back and forth along the wall, Remus concentrated quite hard on a secluded place that only he knew of.

He stopped and stared at the wall as a large, ornate mahogany door began to form on the wall complete with a peephole and a wolf shaped knocker. Remus reached for the knob but found that it would not let him in.

_What? Why can't I enter?_ Remus tried futilely to enter the Room of Requirement, as he always did when he wanted to be alone, only to find it locked. Feeling foolish, Remus quickly glanced around him before lifting the brass knocker and letting it fall. The clang of the brass against the door resonated throughout the corridor, but no students were in the hall to hear.

A large, startlingly blue eye peered through the peephole and gasped.

"Remus?" A girl's voice questioned, as he heard the door's locks unclick. The voice sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it. The large door creaked open and Remus reluctantly stepped inside.

The Room had become a huge library of three stories that soared endlessly to the sky. Balconies complete with armchairs and fireplaces lit the room from a dozen different angles.

The ceiling, although Remus didn't see how it was possible, appeared to be made of glass and let in the last sunshine of the day from above. The light beams made dancing shadows all along the shelves. Row upon row of shelves extended and went on for what seemed like forever.

Once Remus' eyes had had their fill, he turned to the girl standing by the door. She was tall and thin with long, blonde hair that reached her waist. Remus recognized her as a Ravenclaw with whom he took Ancient Runes. She was shy and quiet with a somewhat dreamy look in her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quietly, as if a vulture-esque librarian were likely to swoop down upon them any second.

"I was just about to ask you the same…err..." Remus countered. She smiled pleasantly.

"Selene. Selene Montesquieu." Her teeth were a dazzling white as she told him her name.

Remus' own mouth went slack as he caught himself staring into her huge aqua eyes as she continued.

"Oh, well…I finished the selection of books on magical creatures in the library some time ago. I've been studying to become a Magical Animalogist and…well…ran out of reading material." She smiled her dazzling smile once again and then quickly dropped her gaze to her feet.

"'Magical animalogy'? I've never heard of it." Remus said curiously. Selene looked up happily and grinned widely.

"Most people haven't-it's sort of a made up topic of study-but I can tell you all about it."

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><p>It was well after dinner, and James was <em>still<em> stuck. He had watched Sirius return to the common room (with his arm around Lucy Hawcraft), had seen Peter sneak out of the portrait hole with something that looked suspiciously like Sirius' Defense Against the Dark Arts notes, and had watched as Amanda Bones searched the corridor for Remus.

He sighed in his head as he replayed the countless imaginary dates that he had spent with Lily in his head. He thought about his favorite fantasy-the one where Lily was wearing a light green dress (it matched her eyes) and he a shiny black set of dress robes. It was nearing midnight and they were out by the lake, dancing on a large flat rock under a weeping willow. Fairies flitted to and fro around the tree as Lily looked deeply into his eyes and told him that…

James mentally shook his head and attempted to pull himself from the lovely scene. He then thought of Snape, and all the horrible tortures that he would inflict upon Severus' sniveling little meddling face when James was freed. James wrote down all the hexes and charms that he would cast on Snape in his mind. At the same time, however, he kept a list of all the different colors of lilies there were in the greenhouses outside the castle.

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><p>Lily had been thinking foggily for hours by the time the other girls in her dormitory said goodnight and snapped off their lights for bed. Her watch read 11:17 p.m. as she finally decided what to do. She pulled the two letters out one last time as she ran over the plan in her mind, wishing she could find and easier way out of her dilemma. The plain parchment that had been folded so lovingly into a lily flower was now crinkled and the black parchment embellished with blood red roses and slanting words was likewise crumpled.<p>

She held each in an opposite hand, as if weighing the intentions and love of Sev and James against one another. By now, Lily had admitted to herself that she had always secretly been attracted to James-and that she wanted him very badly. On the other hand, she loved Severus quite deeply-it was a love that had strengthened over time. She found that she cared more for Severus, but that she was more _in love_ with James. But with James…she tried to tell herself that it was just a tiny crush. She told herself that she would get over it eventually….she belonged with Severus. She knew in her heart that she always had. They had history. Knowing each other as well as they did, it had only seemed to be a matter of time before they got together…they were not truly _in love_, but Lily felt that they were somehow meant to be.

James would probably just play her like a violin. He would use her to heighten his reputation, and then he would dump her. He was just another Sirius Black. They'd go on a few dates, seemingly fall in love, and then _Bam!_ He would end it. Or at least that's what Lily tried to convince herself was true. She tried to convince her brain that James was all wrong for her, but deep down, she knew that he was the only thing that she had _ever _wanted…the chess game was slowly growing more complex and gaining more players…but by the time 12:16 rolled around, she had decided what move she would make.

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><p><strong>*Did Remus speak too soon when he claimed he'd never meet "that" girl! Who will Lily choose! Will James <em>ever<em> get down from those bloody rafters! Tune in for the next rivetingly mind boggling chapter of _Spiraling Love_! ***

**~ :) **

**Pleaze Review! The more reviews you post, the more chapters I'll put up ! :D 3**


	7. Werewolf and a Peculiar Subject of Study

It was nearly 11:30 as Severus looked down at his watch, performing the final preparations that would complete his master plan. He looked round at the wooden table that bore two spindly tapered candles.

When "Felix," as he had so casually referred to his tiny golden potion, told him to go up to the Divination room, he had come upon the old and tiny Professor Langley. She had instantly spluttered out some unintelligible (and no doubt unreliable) prophecy, warning him against the evils of a "wand of death" and a "serpent of evil" and some other rubbish that he had dismissed as foolish drawlery. She then gave him two silver, star-spangled candles to '_protect himself when the time came'_ as she had said_._ And it was those candles which gave him the idea.

He ran to the green houses, searching desperately for the red-orange lilies that he had always been attracted to. He produced a large red ribbon with his wand and tied it about three flowers, laying then on one of the delicate little chairs that he had just so happened to find sitting outside the headmasters' study.

As he left the castle he had found some particularly old and tarnished instruments lying beside the door (the neglected experiments of the charms professor who had abandoned the pieces for a worthier musical soul to stumble upon). Severus had instantly levitated the old violin, flute, viola and base out to the table that he had set beneath the Gryffindor Tower.

So, it was about 11:30 as Severus raised his wand to add the final piece to the puzzle. He had instruments and candlelight and lilies. He just required a single last thing to complete the romantic scene that he had pictured for so long inside his head. Most people would have liked to believe that Severus Tobias Snape had not one romantic bone in his body. But they, of course, would be proven wrong had they seen him wave his wand and grow dozens of pink and red roses from the earth.

Even though Herbology was not his, er, _best_ subject, Severus' charms skills were immaculate. He _accio_ed rose seeds from the greenhouses and used magic to bury them in the ground. Then, using a speed spell, he forced the seeds to unravel and to shoot up into beautiful, full flowers.

They wrapped around the little table in a complete circle, creating a solid wall that rose over eight feet into the sky. An archway entrance appeared as the rose vines parted to accommodate Severus's wand light. He smiled as he looked at the rose covered gazebo that he had just created. He thought back to the book that Peeves had thrown at him earlier that day. _Herbology and its Practical Uses_. Who knew that Felix could be so helpful (painful-as the book had hit him on the head-but helpful)!

As Peeves had zoomed away, cackling, Severus had looked down to the book which had fallen open to a page labeled "_Rose gardens for the Hopeless Romantic."_ He certainly wasn't _hopeless_, but the idea for the gazebo of roses had struck him there just the same. He waved his wand, adding a silvery glow to the atmosphere around him… Surely Lily would love the beautiful sight… He sighed and sat down heavily into one of the chairs.

What if Lily had changed her mind? What if she, in fact, _didn't_ like Severus? What if this was just a pity date thing that Lily would just be too nice to say no to? He pushed the thought from his mind as he examined the gazebo, enlarged it and changed the colors of random roses several times until he accidently turned himself blue. Felix was wearing off.

Remus sat, motionless, in a large winged chair as he watched the graceful blonde gather stack upon stack of books from the surrounding library shelves.

"Magical Animology is the study of the so called 'fictional' animals that may be living in the world."

"What?" Remus asked Selene, confused.

"Well, you see, there are a lot of mythical animals that can be traced through ancient wizarding legends and lore that have not yet been proven to be existent. Take the Crumple-horned Snorcack for example." She pulled out a rather large leather bound book that had some words written in a different language on it.

"You read Latin?" Remus asked, both incredulous and impressed.

"Of course." She flipped through the well-loved, bent pages. "Ah, here it is. Chapter Two of _Grendluffle's Theory of Potionieering and Evasive Werewolf Methods_, published in 1654."

Remus' ears pricked up at the word 'Werewolf.'

"What?" He asked, inquisitive as to what a creature with so silly a name could possibly have to do with evading Werewolves.

But Selene merely smiled as she read. " '_By acquiring one horn of a Crumpe-Horned Snorchakia'_ That's how they said it back then, _'a Potioneer may create a brew that will successfully cure any Werewolf and return him to the form of a human. This can only be done at exactly one o'clock in the evening when the man is in wolf form.'_ See?" She beamed. "It's like in muggle myths-you know, muggles don't believe in dragons, but they truly do exist. We just have to…keep our minds wide open to _all_ the possibilities!" She beamed enthusiastically, picking up sheaves of parchment and countless other tomes of research that had helped her to come to that conclusion.

A beaten up textbook labeled: _Myth or Reality?_had fallen to the ground, spilling out various sheets of notes written partly in Latin. Remus bent down to gather them up, seeing more than one page labeled "Werewolves and Possible Cures." He glanced up at Selene as he stacked the sheets of parchment into a neat pile and placed them on a nearby table.

"May I have permission to quote you? I think Professor Dumbledore would find your ideas and reasoning quite worthy of his time and interest." Remus laughed, amused by her ideas, yet charmed by her smiles and composure. He leaned his chin onto his fist as he mulled over what she had read.

"So what you're saying is that...this 'Crumple Horned Snorquack-"

"Snorcack." She corrected efficiently.

"-Snorcack-can heal a Werewolf?" Remus asked incredulously.

"It can _cure_ a Werewolf…at least that was Grendluffle's theory when he wrote this book." She looked intelligently back at the page and then flipped to a new section.

"Well, I _suppose_ the theory could be true. You see, not many people have seen a Crumple Horned Snorcack, so it _could work_ in a cure. It just hasn't been…proven. That's why I'm so interested in this particular subject. If we found all these new creatures-who knows what we could do in wizarding medicine and potions! I want to track all these so called "mythical" creatures, study them, and then use that knowledge to help the greater good. I want to help all those poor souls who become Werewolves," She lifted up the heavy volume, "since they do not get to live normal lives like you and I. These people are discriminated against for something that they cannot control. I want to help these people. And if what this book says is true, then I _know_ I can figure out the cure. Potions _is_ my expertise." She stroked page 175 lovingly, and smiled dazzlingly as Remus paused before his reply. He could not believe his ears. Here was a pretty, intelligent girl who believed that Werewolves were not _monsters_, she thought that they were simply people.

_No._ He thought-waging a silent war inside his head. He wanted to tell her that _he_ himself was a Werewolf. They had only been speaking for about a half an hour, but already he felt that he could trust her with anything. _I cannot let myself get too attached. _But it was too late. He looked up at her and she smiled again, still waiting for his reply, as her blonde hair fanned out behind her. He decided to shirk the subject of Werewolves, lest his tongue betray him and confess his deepest secret.

" 'For the greater good'? Interesting…it sounds like an awful lot of work, though. What if you discover that there aren't such creatures as you believe there are?"

"Remember what I said before-'you have to keep your mind wide open.' Sometimes that means taking chances. And I'm willing to take a chance for what I believe in."


	8. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen

**haha...so yeah, this chapter's full name is "Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars." That's the name of an uber-famous Bon Jovi song, in case you're wondering! :) And I don't own that song or the name-if I did I'd be in a rock and roll band! :) So, the title has meaning in relation to what happens next... And just to clear the air, Lily is the Beauty Queen. Yeah, Sirius Black _may_ be beautiful, but he's not he queen of this chess game. Well, wniugh rambling! Enjoyyy! And please review! :)**

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><p>Lily put on her favorite turquoise dress and a pair of black shoes. She looked cautiously around the dormitory as she tiptoed her way down the stairwell. She was hoping, <em>praying<em>, that there were not any Gryffindors attempting to pull all-nighters in the common room below her.

Within the past few months, scholar students had been organizing study sessions, and even the most weak of students had showed up to ask a question or two. Sometimes discussions could last well into the morning.

She peeked cautiously around the corner, gripping the handrail tightly. No one was in the common room-just empty couches and chairs by the roaring fireplaces.

She walked quietly down the last few stairs and began to tip toe to the portrait hole, unsure who she had to be afraid of at this point. She was halfway across the room when she heard-

"It's awfully late to be sneaking around the corridor. Curfew was a few hours ago." Sirius Black swiftly turned his chair around to face Lily. He had been so quiet and still that her eyes had failed to see him in the dim, circular room.

"I was just-" Lily began, heart beating fast as she realized that she had been caught.

"James really must be planning something good-I haven't seen him since before dinner." Sirius leaned back into the chair and flipped at his hair with ease. "He must really like you."

Lily gaped at him as her heart sank. James was planning something elaborate_. For her._ And she was only going to let him down.

"Sirius, I'm not going to-"

"Well, enjoy your night, then." Sirius got up from the chair and walked up the boys' dormitories. Halfway up the staircase, he paused as if suddenly remembering something, and turned back to face Lily.

"And if you see Remus somewhere, tell him that we have an essay due tomorrow and I can't find his anywhere! How am I supposed to pass if I can't even find a decent piece of parchment to copy off of?" And with that, Sirius Black was gone.

Lily felt terrible. James was making elaborate plans-all for her-and here she was, about to blow him off! She had decided that even though she had had a secret crush on James for years, and even though they had chemistry, she should be with Sev. She and Sev had history. He had brought her into the wizarding world and had always been there for her (Minus the time when he called her a mudblood, of course). At least, that's what she tried to convince herself as she walked to the portrait hole in silence.

She felt as if she _owed_ it to Sev. After all, she had _kissed _him. She would not lead him on and then break his poor Slytherin heart. Sev was constantly bullied, had fighting parents on the verge of divorce, and was being lured by the temptations of the Dark Arts. He deserved a bit of happiness. And _someone_ needed to keep him from joining up with some dark and secret society of murderers.

Lily laughed a bit in her head at the idea of skinny string bean Sev becoming one of the most wanted men in the wizarding world. The thought was simply ridiculous! Yet, anything was possible when you knew how to use magic.

But was it really Lily's responsibility to watch over Sev and to love him? Lily was his friend, so she felt that she had to do something. She couldn't hurt the hook-nosed teen even if she tried.

But she felt as if she were making the wrong choice. It was almost as if she was just giving Sev a pity date. She had thrown all her emotions into that kiss, but she knew in her heart that it hadn't been meant for Severus Snape. It had been meant for James Potter.

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><p>James continued to stare out into space, mentally rereading every school book that he had ever owned. He had run out of things to think of, and was now reverting to the most boring thoughts that were crumpled up in the back of his mind. He tried to smooth them, but found that there were certain facts and images that he just could not envision.<p>

He thought about History of Magic, and how he had always failed the same two questions that had appeared on each test that he took in his fifth year.

_The fifteenth goblin rebellion was sparked by which working group of Siberia?_

And

_What, in your opinion, can be considered major events in the history of the ancient Wizarding Council in Rome? And how did the Wizards in the tribune contribute to the rise and fall of Julius Caesar? _

James nearly managed to fall asleep within his mind as he thought back to all those boring History lessons about dead wizards.

And then he heard the hinges of the Fat Lady's portrait creep quietly open. The Fat Lady, still a bit out of sorts, was dozing peacefully (yet snoring quite loudly) within her frame. As her portrait slowly swung forward, James had in his mind just one thought-

_Lily!_ She must have been sneaking out to meet him outside the portrait hole! He had completely forgotten their date until now. He wondered what the time was, and how long he had been standing up in the rafters. He knew that he needed to send her a message-_someone_ needed to let him down. What if she thought that he was blowing her off! What if that stupid Severus Snape had ruined his one and only chance to be with Lily! James just couldn't have that.

He concentrated very hard and thought about falling. He said the counter spell to the one that Snape had used to bind him over and over in his mind. He wanted to scream out and break the spell, but of course it would never be quite so easy. S

o instead he just stared ahead of him, watching as the portrait opened inch by inch, as if the person behind it were afraid of being caught out in the corridor after curfew.

James repeated the counter spell again and again and again, picturing Lily's face as he did so. And, suddenly, the portrait swung forward fully to reveal a slim, red-haired girl wearing a shimmering blue dress. She looked around the corridor steadily and James' heart caught in his chest. She had really, truly come to see him! She _wanted_ to go out with him! Maybe she even _loved _him!

And in that moment, James' heart and mind were both filled with such glee and confidence that when he repeated the count curse one last time, the spell broke. And then James Potter fell from the ceiling.

"Look OUT!" James flew from the sky rapidly, tumbling through the air towards Lily.

"AHHH!" Lily screamed as she attempted to dive out of the way. But she was not quick enough, for in the next second she had been knocked off her feet as James flew into her. They both hit the wall.

"Sorry!" James cried, hurriedly disentangling his robes and standing to help Lily up.

"What the bloody hell were you doing!" Lily yelled, red faced. Her heart was beating much too quickly as she threw the words at James, all thoughts of Severus disappearing from her mind.

"I was-I was-err…"James faltered, staring into her bright green eyes, wondering whether or not she would believe him if he accused _precious Severus Snape_ of wrongdoing. Lily had once been quite defensive of the filthy little Slytherin, and James did not want to make her any angrier.

"Well?" Lily's voice trembled a bit with nerves, but she did not betrayed a bit of laughter in her voice as she waited for his answer.

James decided it would be better to fabricate a silly story rather than leave it to chance.

"Well…you see…I have decided to begin pursuing a dream of mine…"

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><p>"And what dream is this, that requires one to fall from the ceiling so gracelessly?" Lily countered, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows sarcastically, clearly she did not believe him. She goggled a bit at her own saucy response.<p>

"My dream of becoming an-"He paused dramatically, saying the first thing that had popped into his head-"An Acrobat!"

Lily's mouth dropped, stunned. Clearly she was expecting a rather different response.

"I was practicing-for you. I figured that I could teach you…to walk a tight rope perhaps?" He held out his arms as if to balance him out on a thin cord of steel.

Lily still looked star struck.

"When Sirius told me you'd been planning something elaborate…I certainly didn't expect…"

And then James began to laugh, amused by his own quick and random wit, as well as the absurdity of the fact that Lily Evans believed him. Lily, realizing that he had just made a joke, was soon in hysterics as well. And within seconds, they were both back on the floor, giggling as they wiped tears from their eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, James opened his mouth.

"You came."

"Well…"Lily paused, wanting to stay with James, yet feeling guilty about leaving Sev.

James smiled, and then grabbed her hand. It was time to turn fantasy into reality.

"Come on, I want to show you something!" And he pulled her along as he began to run through the halls.

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><p><strong>Wow! Intense, right! So, James is free :) And now he's going to make "a fantaasy reality." Hmmmm...wonder what that could mean! <strong>

**So, what's your reaction to the whole Lily+Sev/Lily+James plot so far! Good, bad or maybe ugly! Haha please revvviiiieeeewwwwww! It would mean the world to me! ;) Hope u enjoyed-the next chapter should be out within the next week or so ! 3**


	9. Aqua Eyes

**So...here's a bit more of Remus's story...what do you think? Well...enjoy! And thanx to all my readers! u guys are bloody brilliant! 3 ~**

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><p>Sev looked up at the stars through a break between the rose petals above him, wondering if there was a being on one of those stars gazing down at Earth as he was gazing up at their blazing light.<p>

He shook his head sleepily and looked down at the old beat-up pocket watch that he had found hidden beneath a floorboard in his house at Spinners End. It was getting late, Severus rubbed his eyes. _What if she had decided not to show up?_ He pushed the thought from his mind as he gave in to sleep and dozed off. He could feel Felix wearing off now, and he could not bear to think of what he would do without his lucky potion.

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><p>It was nearly 12:30 at night as Remus and Selene wandered down yet another aisle of the interminable library.<p>

"I hope we don't get lost…if only we had breadcrumbs or something-like Hansel and Gretel." Selene murmured, fingers sliding over spine after spine of leather-bound books.

"Selene-we're wizards. We don't need breadcrumbs. We have the next best thing." Remus raised his wand and waved it twice through the air. Instantly, tiny marbles appeared from his wand's end and flew through the air, marking their path back to the exit.

"Genius!" Selene laughed as she pulled out a book to see its title and then stowed it away again.

"Wait a second." Remus pointed his want at the nearest group of marbles hovering in the air and whispered: "_Lumos."_ Instantly, the marbles flew together into a cluster and lit up, like tiny stars. They then circled each other in a perfect rendition of a tiny galaxy.

"How beautiful!" Selene cried out jubilantly. Remus blushed.

"I think we've entered the poetry section!" Selene said, pulling down a bright pink book from a shelf. "I wonder who wrote this." She turned the book over in her hands, looking for a title or name of an author. She flipped to the back cover, where there was a handwritten inscription in black ink.

_If you are reading this, than I must be gone. I must be back in France crying my heart out, without you. In this book I have hidden each and every idea and dream that I have ever had about you and I. I've kept this journal from the first time I met you to the last time we kissed. I am sorry, my love._

"What?" Selene looked confusedly at the inscription as if by staring hard enough she could ascertain its meaning. She flipped to the first page.

In a neat, scrolling, script, a poem was written on the page. It wasn't extremely well written, but the writer was obviously very passionate about her craft.

_He had aqua eyes, _

_The color of pool._

_They swirled with gold dreams,_

_And Sparkled like jewels._

_They shone in the light,_

_And sparkled like steel._

_Handsome but guarded,_

_Accepting what's real._

_Sometimes they held soul,_

_While others just iron._

_To padlock the hope,_

_Keep out weakness_

_The day I met him,_

_Eyes glowed with fire._

_The eyes betrayed love, _

_Filled with desire._

_Those aqua eyes blink,_

_They captured a heart._

_The reflected thoughts,_

_Of sparks that would start._

_Aqua eyes that hid,_

_Aqua eyes that smiled,_

_Aqua eyes that loved,_

_And aqua eyes that beguiled._

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Selene smiled. "I wonder how old this book is…hey, there's a date at the bottom!" They both attempted to look at the date at once, knocking their heads together. Remus laughed as Selene rubbed her forehead delicately.

"You read it." She said to him.

"Alright…it says….January the 14th, 1865."

"Wow."

Remus turned the page. "Hey-there's a bit written here about the poem."

"_I wrote this in my Charms notebook after the first time I saw you. I knew I was in love with you at first sight. _

"_You were wearing your dark Hogwarts robes and a maroon and gold tie. I remember it like it was yesterday… You were the first person that I saw as I walked into Hogwarts for the first time with my classmates. The Triwizard Tournament was about to begin and I sat next to you at your table. Do you remember, love? _

"_You said, 'Bonjour!' in a horrible imitation of my accent. In turn, I uttered a 'hullo' as if I were English! We both laughed until we cried. After that we sat together each day-becoming the best of friends. I loved your gorgeous blue eyes ever since the first time they caught my light hazel ones. The first time you said "hello." "_

_"_This must have been written during one of the Triwizard Tournaments-before they were banned."Selene stopped reading.

"Triwizard tournament?" Remus asked.

"An interschool competition against other European schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Selene explained.

"Never heard of it."

"Well, our head of house told us about the competition some time ago. We were talking about charmed magical objects. I was flipping through my text book when I came across an example of an enchanted object that was once used often. When I asked the professor about the "Goblet of Fire" he told us the story of a competition between three schools that challenged the competitor's magical skills and wit. It's quite an interesting subject to speak about." Selene tapped the book's spine reminiscently.

"Why was it banned?" Remus asked, taking the pink book from her hands and flipping to the next page.

"One of the competitors was killed during the competition." She shrugged. "It's quite sad, really. What does the next page say?"

"It's another poem…" Remus said, reading the words quickly in his mind.

"Read it out loud!" Selene shouted excitedly.

"Alright, alright!" Remus laughed as he began to read the next one after noting, "But it doesn't make much sense!"

"_Walk slowly and sing_

_Dance and fly as if on springs_

_Touch the shining stars_

_Capture the warm light_

_Set your finger tips aglow_

_Swirl around and smile_

_Master of light_

_Shine and feel magic within_

_Fire warms your soul_

_Your lips kiss the sun_

_You do not burn but fly free_

_Passion and power_

_Fly to the bright moon_

_Contrasting with the dark night_

_Dark and light collide_

_Darkness never wins_

_Battling fiercely with light_

_The brighter triumphs_

_Lace your soft rays in_

_And unweave the dark fabric_

_Burst forth, don't waver_

_So illuminate_

_Because you are the brightest_

_Overcome the dark."_

"What do you reckon it means?" Remus turned to Selene, who smoothed her hair as she mulled it over.

"I think that she is trying to encourage him-whoever the boy she likes is. It sounds like he is unconfident but strong. She wants him to try his strength and use it to overcome some "obstacle." It think that's what the darkness is symbolic of an obstacle. And light is strength."

"Or perhaps," Remus added his own thoughts into the mix, "she is fearful about telling him how she really feels, and wants to give herself courage. Maybe she is just trying to convince herself that it is worth the risk. Like you said earlier- 'Sometimes that means taking chances'." Selene beamed as he quoted her.

"Turn the page-maybe she'll explain!" Selene jumped up and down in anticipation, blonde hair bouncing along with her in waves.

He turned to the next, faded page which was soaked in ink.

" '_That was a Haiku.'" _He read, _"'I wrote that about that conversation that we shared in the tea shop in Hogsmeade-on our first outing together. I know you'll understand it. You seem to understand everything about me. I'm so glad that I met you.'"_ Remus looked up at Selene. She smiled back and urged him to turn to the next page. Remus grinned as he thought of several of the writer's lines:

_Master of light_

_Shine and feel magic within_

_Fire warms your soul_

He thought that the poetry fit Selene perfectly. She was the master of light, the queen of smiles. She could shine brighter than the sun simply by laughing. She spoke inspirationally about her own beliefs and was charmed by everything that she learned.

He felt different around her than he did around other girls. He knew that she was special. And as he read out the next piece of prose, he knew that he never wanted the night to end.

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><p><strong>So...thoughts! Does Remus have a crush on Selene! Will Lily and Snape make up? (or make out!) And what's with the poetry! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, everyone... the year is winding down and there are parties to be attended, people to dance with, water to be swum (is it swum or swam!) in... you all know how it is! well, lots of love and please review! If you have time to read all of this than you have time to review... ;)<strong>

**~ 3333**


	10. Forest Forbidden

**Short Fluff chapter :) Enjoy! I don't own Harry Potter. But if I did...this would be a published work and not a Fanfic :) Anyways Happy Summer! :D**

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><p>"Here-this way!" Lily giggled madly as James made another sharp turn and pulled her through the corridor. "Down the staircase?" Lily asked in surprise as they swerved into the Great Hall's entrance and down the large marble staircase.<p>

"No, silly, outside-" James smiled at her as he came to an abrupt stop and caught her in his arms.

"But curfew-"

"Doesn't matter so long as you aren't caught." James grinned mischievously as he reached into his jeans pocket. He pulled out a large, silvery piece of fabric.

"Is that an-" Lily began, but once again, James cut into her sentence.

"Invisibility cloak." He beamed.

"But where did you get this?" Lily stroked the liquid-like fabric in reverence.

"It's a family thing. My dad gave it to me in second year."

"It's lovely."

"Yeah? You think so?" James looked into her eyes and felt his heart beat a bit faster. "Do you want to try it on?"

Lily nodded and James threw the cloak over her head, making sure that it covered her tiny feet.

Instantly, Lily Evans vanished from view. Her giggling gave her away immediately but she was otherwise hidden.

"How do I look?" She asked invisibly, "does this outfit make me look fat?"

James laughed in reply as he reached forward to grab the place where Lily's hand had been earlier, when she was visible. He felt the liquid silver cloth brush his finger tips and for a moment saw the heels of her shoes as she scurried in the other direction.

"You'll never catch me!" She cried through her giggles as James smiled and chased the noises of her muffled laughter and footsteps around the entry hall.

"Got you!" He called as he felt the invisibility cloak under his fingers.

"Yeah right!" Lily slipped into view from beneath the cloak and began to run, leaving James holding a seemingly normal looking piece of fabric.

She burst through the doors that lead to the grounds, grinning and leaving James looking star struck once again.

She held her arms out as if to embrace the cool midnight wind as she ran, tipping her face back to catch the light of the moon. He quickly followed, pulling on the cloak as he did so.

About halfway between the school and the Lake, Lily stopped and turned to look over her shoulder. She rested her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths before shakily calling out, "James?"

She searched the grounds with her eyes but saw no sign of the spiky-haired Marauder.

"James?" She heard footsteps behind her in the soft earth, and turned. No one was behind her.

"Jam-" Lily's call was cut short by the laughing yell of James Potter as he threw of his invisibility cloak and wrapped his arms around her.

Lily shrieked with fear. James released her and spun her around as he laughed. "You didn't honestly expect me to let you win, did you? Come here." He pulled Lily closer to him and threw the cloak over the two of them.

"We have to walk under here-in case someone looks towards us through a window." He pointed at the castle.

"Why would anyone be up at one o'clock in the morning just so that they could stare out at two students running on the deserted grounds?" Lily asked, still trying to catch her breath as James checked to make certain that the cloak covered their feet.

"You'd be surprised." He said ominously, "let's go!"

He grabbed her hand again. Lily laced her fingers into his and marveled at how soft and warm his hand was as they ran through the night.

She looked back up at the castle which, glittering in all its glory, made her feel as if she were forgetting something important.

"Right over here-" James pulled off the cloak as they came under the cover of some trees which grew by the lake.

He tucked the cloak back into his pocket and drew his wand. Lily hesitated as he stepped near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"What's wrong?" James asked, squeezing her hand.

"Aren't there…deadly creatures and such hidden in there? I mean, it _is_ called "_Forbidden"_ for a reason, am I correct?" Lily pulled her hair off her face and smoothed down parts that the wind had ruffled.

James took a step closer to her and reached up to tuck a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on the side of her face for a second longer than was necessary. "Do you trust me?"

The words escaped her mouth in a tiny whisper. "_Yes._"

James pulled her through the trees and the two walked several feet into the Forest.

They walked in almost complete silence for a few moments.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked, on edge as she looked around at the eerie trees which choked out the moonlight.

"You'll see in a-oh, here we are!" James could barely contain his excitement as he pushed deeper through the forest, hauling Lily behind him.


	11. A hunger for LoVe AnD rEvEnGe

**So, I probably should have posted this first snippet with the last chapter. Well, whatever, life is spontaneous and full of cool surprises, right! So, let's just say that I thought that it would be better if I did it this way? Okay! Well, enjoy! Please review 'cause it's super important that I get feedback on how the plot's developing. Most of the story's already written but I want the end to wrap up nicely with a good theme or message or overall ending (okay so there really isn't going to be a message to the story...I lied :)) So, Please review!**

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><p>"Close your eyes, now." He took both her hands and slowly stepped backward as she shut her eyes.<p>

After a few steps he put his arm around her shoulders and turned her to face another direction.

"Alright. Open them."

Lily opened her eyes to see the most beautiful scene of nature imaginable. A small part of the lake had been completely encircled by towering willow trees, their branches and leaves delicately draping into the smooth water. The moon and stars shone through large gaps in the interlaced trees, and tiny balls of light flittered through the trees.

"Fairies." Lily breathed. She turned to James in disbelief. He was smiling so grandly that he was practically glowing like the tiny fairies that wove through the willow branches.

"It's…it's…" Lily simply could not find the words to describe the picturesque sanctuary before her.

"I know." James whispered as he pulled Lily towards him and bent his head so that he could kiss her cheek.

The kiss was quick, but left a sizzling feeling on Lily's face. She felt the blush spreading across her cheeks, and found it reflected on James' face as she looked up.

"Lily I-" But James didn't have the chance to voice all of his feelings, because in the next second, Lily kissed him.

Remus and Selene had walked further into the labyrinth of bookcases, Remus holding the diary and Selene dancing dreamily to the sleepy music issuing from an unseen piano ("I bet there's a music section, then!" Selene had said ecstatically).

"Remus…" Selene looked up at him as they passed an aisle of hovering books, "I really think that we should find the diary's owner."

"What? That's impossible! She's probably dead!" Remus looked at Selene incredulously.

"No, it's not. Anything's possible… And if she is dead, we could give it to a family member or something!" Selene's large blue eyes had a steely look as they bore into Remus's. "This boy was obviously important to her! And she must have been important to him, too!"

"But-Selene-he hid the book in the Room of Requirement! It seems like he didn't want anyone to find out about his relationship with a foreign girl!"

"He didn't _destroy_ it though! He could have set it to fire or ripped it apart! Perhaps the memories were too painful and his heart was filled with pain every time he turned the pages of that book and read his true love's handwriting!"

"Did you ever consider that perhaps she had charmed it so that it could not be destroyed?"

"Have you ever considered that sometimes love makes people do crazy things, and that not everyone plans strategies and perfect spell work when thinking about a person they love? Honestly, Remus, I know that you are one of the smartest students at this school, but I sincerely thought that you would know that sometimes people are guided by their hearts and not by their minds." Selene crossed her arms and frowned.

"Alright! Alright! Say I agree with this delusion of returning the book-how exactly are you planning on tracking this girl down? She lives in a whole different country!" He threw up his hands to punctuate his sentence. A long ribbon of fire sparked from his wand and then vanished in a nonexistent breeze.

And then Selene smiled. "I have my ways." She grabbed Remus's hand and pulled him back down the way they had come, passing the spinning globes of light along the way.

Sev woke up and looked around him, disoriented. He thought back to his colorful dream-one in which he had heard Lily's laughter. In the dream he had been in astronomy class with her. They had both been talking about the position of Jupiter in relation to Mars when, all of a sudden. Lily had vanished into thin air. It was as if she had been sketched by an artist's pen and then painted over in dark paint. Where Lily once stood, there was now simple blackness and night.

He had then peered into his telescope, calling out her name. He had swiveled the scope to look around the grounds, and then caught a glimpse of her flaming hair by the Forbidden Forest. He had focused in on her to see her arm and arm with another boy. She was laughing with him as he talked animately. Severus could not see his face, but he recognized the arrogant mannerisms.

And then he had woken up.

Sev looked down at his watch. Too late.

It was at least 3 hours too late.

In a torrent of fury and sadness he whipped out his wand and spun around, yelling. Flames blazed from the thin wood's tip. The gazebo of roses caught fire and began to burn into a huge inferno of lost love, with Severus Snape at its center.

He stood, head bowed, with a few tiny drops of sparkling water rolling down his cheeks. Fire burned around him as it did inside. Lily was never going to come-she had never even been planning to come. She didn't really love him. He had lost her. No-he had never even had her.

The very idea that she had liked him had all been an illusion from the beginning. She was just leading him on. But what had been her motivation? He didn't know. He didn't care.

All that mattered was that she'd humiliated him in a way that he'd never been humiliated before. The shame was not just external, but internal. He could feel the pain burning him slowly from the inside out. With the Marauders, the pain inflicted never affected his heart, brain or soul. It just turned people against him. But the way that Lily had hurt him-he couldn't even bear to think about her. He felt worthless and meaningless. He was nothing. He was the dead.

And as the wreckage of roses continued to burn around him, as tears rolled down from his black eyes, he looked up to the sky, to the stars, to the heavens-and wished for the **revenge**. He did not care who rendered it nor in what form it took-he just wanted revenge-pure and sweet. And then his tears hit the ground.

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><p><strong>So, What do you think? Pleaze review, it would make me sooo happy that I'd...hmmm...do something totally crazy... I'll get back to you on that. :)<strong>


	12. Butterflies and Angst

**So...yeah...Sorry I haven't updated in a while...but I was busy with the...**

**HARRY POTTER DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 Premiere at my neighborhood Movie theatre**

**Well "Let's just say" that it was an absolute 'blast' and I hope that all u other Potter fans had just as much fun seeing it as I did! There was alot of singing, dancing, confetti and costume-changes! i just want to say thank you to J.K. Rowling for inveting such a magical world and for giving all of us something to believe in and to belong to. Harry Potter made our childhoods special and I'm glad that I got to be a part of it!**

**Alright, enough with the emotional, sappy stuff-I don't own HP! Well, enjoy this fluffy/angsty-ish chapter ! Please leave a comment if you can! :)**

**~F.S. :)**

****Oh, and just so you all know, I sensor all the "language" with *s**

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><p>Lily and James were sitting side by side on the shore of the small closed-off section of the lake, watching the fairies chase dragon flies.<p>

"You're turn." Lily smiled at James as he skipped a rock across the lake.

"Alright-what's your favourite class?" He beamed back at her.

"Come on-that's an easy one! Potions and charms. But you knew that already, you're in all of my classes!"

"So? Maybe there was some secret affection that you had for Transfiguration class. How would I know without asking? Now you ask a question."

Lily leaned against him, finger pressed to her chin in thought.

"What do you want to be after seventh year?" She smiled.

"Guess." James grinned at the flash of irritation that spun across Lily's face.

"That's not part of the game." Lily pushed him playfully.

James combed his fingers through his hair absentmindedly, "It is if you want to know the answer."

"Fine. Er…do you want to be a Medi-wizard? Or a dark wizard catcher?" Lily guessed, thinking of jobs at random.

"Really-a Medi-wizard! It's like you don't know me at all!" James gasped dramatically.

"Alright…what about a…professional Quidditch player?"

"Hmmm…that would be fun."

"How about an architect? Or a curse-breaker? A policeman? Minister of Magic? A professor? A shop owner? Or maybe a sanitation worker here at Hogwarts?" Lily's eyes gleamed with laughter at the mention of the last job.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. And tempting…but no." James bent back to lie on the ground, crossing his arms behind his head as he did so. He looked up at the brilliant twinkling stars as Lily crossed her arms in irritation.

"Are you going to give me an answer or not!" Lily huffed, throwing her hands in the air as she fell backwards too.

"As I have said at least 7 times already-'no.'" James turned his face towards hers.

"Why not?"

"Because if I get the job I want, you'll know." The corners of his mouth twitched as if this were a private joke and he was about to laugh out loud.

Lily stuck out her tongue. "Oh, I will? How?"

"Believe me, you'll know. My turn! What's your favorite color?" James continued to stare into the sky above him. Lily turned to look up at the stars as well.

"The truth."

"Funny, I've never heard of that one-"

"Oh, shut up! It's blue." Lily laughed, forgetting about how annoyed she had been a second before. She was letting her guard down.

"What's yours?" She asked when she had quieted.

"I'm kind of partial to red myself." James winked. Lily blushed as she twirled a strand of bright hair across her fingertips.

"Do you think I'm too stuck-up and immature?" James asked quietly, avoiding her gaze.

Lily took a few moments to answer. "Well…sometimes. But those qualities are two of the reasons why I like you. I especially like the dash of rebellion in your personality."

"Thanks. I got that from Sirius."

"So, do you think I'm too studious and too much of a goody-goody?" Lily grabbed James' hand beside her. "Or are you jealous of my potions abilities?"

"Yes. Yes. And Yes." James squeezed her hand in his own, sending a pulse of electricity through Lily's arm.

"Your turn again."

"Fine…er…" James paused as he thought of his question carefully. "Do you…er…love me?" He whispered cautiously into the wind.

Lily was silent.

"Because…I love you." James forced out the last words before she could respond.

He looked over at Lily, who was staring ahead vacantly at the night sky as a shooting star blazed overhead. "Look-make a wish!" James attempted to break the silence, pointing to the heavens with their intertwined hands.

Lily's eyes traced the star's path until it disappeared into the abyss of velvet sky.

"Yes."

The word was almost incomprehesable it was said so quietly. Lily turned to look at James and repeated the word a little louder.

"Yes. I love you James Potter. I always have and I always will."

James beamed, his heart beating so rapidly that it threatened to burst out of his chest. He leaned over and gave Lily a long, lingering kiss that left both of them breathless and blushing.

They laid there for several minutes, holding hands and gazing up at the endless canvas of stars and nebulas, just content to listen to the others' breathing.

Lily was the first to get up.

"Perhaps we should return to the castle, it is quite late." She said shyly, drumming her fingers against James' open palm.

"Yeah-you're right. Besides-Hogsmeade trip tomorrow! Would you, er, want to go together?" He stood and helped her up.

"Of course!" She blinked her eyes in fake-disbelief, as if he were being stupid by even asking.

They began to leave their secret clearing. "Oh-wait a second!" James stopped and pulled Lily back with him. "I almost forgot-" James pulled out his wand and pointed it towards a willow tree, muttering under his breath. Instantly, a long, thin willow branch drifted from the lake towards them, dripping large droplets of golden water as it flew.

The branch came a bit closer and then twisted itself gracefully through the air, forming a circular, wreath-like shape. James muttered a bit more and the branch turned an astonishingly bright silver color, becoming metallic and shining. He then shrunk the beautiful, glittering wreath until it was no bigger than a small bobbin.

He caught it as he released the small piece of metal from his spell. He knelt to the ground and held onto one of Lily's hands.

"Will you, Lily Evans, be my girlfriend?" James looked up at her with amused yet serious eyes.

Lily paused for a moment before answering, her eyes curving around the soft silvery glow that resonated from the ring.

"Totally." She smiled as James slipped the willow-ring onto her finger.

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><p>Severus had left the roses to burn. He hoped that the castle would catch fire somehow-but he knew it was impossible as the walls were made of thick stone. He pushed heatedly past the heavy wooden entrance door and stomped through the corridor, uncaring of who heard his loud, resonating footsteps.<p>

Sev slipped through a passage way that would lead him to the Slytherin dungeons, yanking the tapestry that concealed the walkway down as he went. He still could not believe how vulnerable and stupid he had been! He had let Lily Evans play him!

Lily Evans. _Lily Evans._ It was all her fault, this pain! She had been the cause! He brushed his fluffy black hair out of his eyes angrily as he walked up to the Slytherin common room entrance and yelled "BETRAYAL!" The wall slid open and he stepped into the only hiding spot left.

He had thought that he had wronged Lily, when in truth; it was _she_ who had wronged _him_. He knew that the deep burning in his soul needed to be extinguished. Revenge must be his only priority. The flames licked hungrily at his heart and mind as he tried to make the pain disappear, tried to mend his pride. But he failed. The fire was consuming him-the fire of pain and raw emotion- just as the flames had swirled around him under the Gryffindor tower.

He took a step forward into the murky common room as the wall slid shut behind him. The Slytherin common room was as lackluster as always-dark, damp-feeling and depressing. But it was home.

Severus began to walk past the long-extinguished fireplaces towards his room when he heard something shift to his right. He drew his wand and pointed it in the direction. It had to be at least three in the morning-who could possibly be cramming for an exam at this hour in the morning! He heard the sound again-it was the noise of a body on a couch, of that Sev was certain.

"_Lumos."_ Severus' wand lit up the sleeping form of a Slytherin girl, draped across one of the Victorian-esque couches. Her head was surrounded by a halo of sleek blond hair and her left arm was dangling over the couch's cushion. She was wrapped in a cloak that was black as night, and something was causing her to smile in her sleep-a dream, perhaps?

Snape felt the urge to wake the girl, whom he recognized to be in his own year. What use were dreams, if there was never a possibility of them coming true? He wanted to save her from the painful fire of hurt before it was too late.

As if she could feel his sharp gaze, she suddenly startled out of her peaceful silence and opened he large brown eyes. She blinked blearily as she looked up at him, confused. Then, realizing where she was, she smiled.

"Severus." She sad breathlessly, "I've been waiting for you!" She jumped up excitedly from her perch.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep…" She brushed her hair behind her ears and beamed up at him.

Snape stepped back, his fury giving in to curiosity.

"You were waiting…for me?" The question came out hushed and suspicious. Severus kept his face devoid of all emotion. She probably just wanted to ask a potions question or for help with an essay. He couldn't fathom _why_ she would wait up to ask him so long, but the lengths to which some Slytherins would go to make the grade often surprised Severus, and this girl was probably no exception.

"Well, yeah. I checked the dungeons and the library, but you weren't there-obviously. And your friends-Avery and that tall bloke with the light hair-told me that you weren't in your room and that they hadn't seen you since before dinner…so I figured I'd just wait it out and see if you returned. I've been reading the newest issue of _Plenteous Potions_ and then a few chapters of Defense and Enforcement. The Auror recruiting is beginning soon, you know." She smiled as if it were totally normal to have a conversation about reading at three o'clock in the morning.

"Um, yeah." Sev was still puzzled at her intentions_. She had waited for him so they could talk about the auror recruitment later that month?_

"I'm going to go to their seminar. I've wanted to be an auror since I was ten. It's such a cool job! You get to hunt down dark wizards, travel the world, save lives!" She smiled, flashing a pair of perfectly aligned teeth.

Severus nodded dumbly.

"So what I've been waiting to ask you…you know the Hogsmeade trip that's coming up?" She grinned again, as if it were possible to send some secret message simply by smiling.

"Err…yes?" Sev's face contorted with confusion.

"Well, I wanted to know…you see I thought that maybe…err…how should I say this?" She paused. "I really like you, Severus. I've had a quite a bit of a crush on you for the past few months and I wanted to know if…er…you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me…on, like, a date…" She smiled sheepishly, her confidence wavering.

Severus stepped back. He pondered over how he found her sheer honesty astounding. It showed bravery and courage worthy of a Gryffindor…

And then he remembered a _particular _Gryffindor. Rage ignited the fire once again and the burning longing for revenge resurfaced.

The girl continued to smile weakly, awaiting his response. If he squinted a bit, her face looked a little like Lily's.

"You honestly think that I would go out on a _date_ with _you?" _Severus sneered, emphasizing the two words as if they were disgusting and unworthy of his attention.

"Well, yes, I-"

"_Well. Yes. I-_what?" He cruelly mimicked her voice, his black eyes glinting vacuously in the dimly lit room.

"If you _honestly_ think that you were ever worth my time and energy, then you were mistaken. I've seen your work ethic, your grades. There's no _way_ they'll ever let you become an Auror-_especially_ after what happened last fall in Defense class."

The girl's face flushed a deep red, but Severus wasn't yet done. He narrowed his eyes so that the girl's features melted into that of a distraught Lily.

"You're just another _average_ little girl who will never go on to do anything great in life. No accomplishments will ever be accredited to your name; no ovations will applaud your performance of existence. You are nothing but a loser, pathetic. Untrustworthy, you stab others' when their backs are turned. You are a betrayer, pure and simple. I will not waste my time any longer with you. Pretty faces are like apples-Beautiful, shining exteriors but rotten to the core.

"What boy would ever be interested in you? You're grotesque and self-centered you filthy B****. I can't believe I ever liked you. I can't believe I ever Loved-Never mind. You're not worth it. Goodbye, Lily." He turned and strode quickly from the room, savoring the feeling of hurting another.

The girl hung her head sadly as a tear escaped her eye. Then she looked up and said aloud to herself: "Who's Lily?"

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><p><strong>Oh, and forgot to mention that I'm a Hufflepuff :D Enjoy HP7P2! :)<strong>


	13. Fire Burning in my Veins

**So I'm in a heated debate with myself (don't judge) as to whether or not I will keep this chapter as part of the fic. Tell me what you think! It's a little random but it connects back to earlier actions of a certain Severus Tobias Snape (don't u just lovveee that name? :)) Well, read this chapter while you can-because it may disappear...(ominous trailing sentance...) :D**

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><p>James and Lily made their way back to the castle slowly, stopping only twice to smile at the other under the invisibility cloak.<p>

They had decided to take the long way around the castle, so they walked towards Hagrid's hut and then clockwise through the grounds. Lily squeezed James' hand tightly as they walked under the large shadows of the castle, feeling as if a dementor might emerge from them at any moment to snatch her. James felt her shiver and put his arm around her.

Suddenly, Lily began to hear a rasping noise.

"Can you hear that?"

James' smile turned to a frown as they stopped to listen.

"What-What is that?" He considered the noise for a moment, "It sounds like a fire."

Lily's eyes widened as the crackling noise grew louder and a sense of foreboding swept through her body.

"J-J-James…" She didn't dare look round the corner as she felt adrenaline flood her veins. Something didn't feel right…

"I'm sure it's nothing…" He put his other arm around her and locked her in a protective hug. But his eyes had widened a bit as well.

The noise continued to grow even louder still. It was as if there was a fire racing towards them. A glow was shimmering on the ground before the castle.

Lily felt her heartbeat pick up and her breathing quicken. Earlier that night, she had felt her heart beats quicken-only then they had done so out of love. Now, she felt a cold, steely fear grip her heat rather than love-sick longing.

"James…" Lily said again. "Something's off. I can just feel it."

And then, as James began to open his mouth, a huge colossus revealed itself from behind the tower. Twenty feet high and easily just as wide, the inferno of fire slowly moved towards them. Humanoid in appearance, it took slow, flaming steps as it approached James and Lily.

"Oh…my…" Lily was suddenly shaking. James had no idea of what to do. His eyes darted everywhere for some kind of miracle. Of course, they could run back the way they came, but there was no telling as to whether or not the creature would follow them. IT was blocking the only entrance within a hundred yards and he didn't think they'd make it to the Shrieking Shack.

"_Aguamenti!"_ James, being the Gryffindor he was, gave a bold but futile attempt to cleanse the fire, but it only seemed to make the beast angrier.

James tried to think. There had to be some form of escape he hadn't yet considered. They couldn't run on the land without being followed, but what about…the water? The Lake!

"Come on Lily!" He tried to pull her in the direction of the Lake, but she was frozen in terror, gazing at the looming giant that was now a few dozen yards away.

Lily was shaking and taking quick, rasping breaths. James was no Medi-wizard, but after living a few years with Peter Pettigrew, he knew hyperventilation when he saw it.

"Calm down! Lily-we have to get to the…" and then a second thought hit him. The monster couldn't touch them in the Lake, but in the air they would have even more freedom!

"_Accio broom!"_ He called clearly into the night. He wondered if the creature could see through the invisibility cloak, or if it was simply walking their way for its own reasons. It was obviously the product of some _very_ dark magic. From James' vantage point, the monster only responded with violence and was not an intelligent being. It would have made a good death eater.

He was pretty sure that it could see them, though. As the beast walked closer, James could now feel the intense heat rolling off the monster. His eyes stung and hit skin felt as if it were burning (which, it probably was).

"_Come on! Come on!" _He whispered, willing his savior to fly faster. In the back of his mind he briefly wondered as to whether or not Hagrid would find the fire-beastie-thing _cute._

Branches and brambles flew from the monster's wake, the inferno engulfing more and more grass to fuel its exploits. A charred rose fell at James' feet. Without thinking, he plucked the thing off the ground as he slowly backed away with Lily still in his arms, wand protectively in front of them both.

As the inferno was just a dozen meters away, a flash of light brown mahogany caught James' eye. As a seeker he tended to see more than the average person, and this time was no exception. He saw his broom as it sped from the Gryffindor tower above them and went into a nose dive. Each second seemed to drag on forever as James waited for the broom to reach them. And then a thought hit him.

"Lily-take off the cloak!"

"What!" The words came out in a trembling whisper-Lily was still petrified. He thought that if she continued to act like this she would pass out cold.

James whipped the cloak off the both of them in milliseconds. Upon seeing them, exposed, the monster roared angrily, the flames growing taller about its form.

As it went to move forward, James's broom fell into his hand, and he lifted Lily onto its end.

Her face was drained of all color as he jumped onto the broomstick and kicked off from the ground.

The colossus made a feeble attempt to grab at them, but James was too quick. Easily maneuvering them out of its reach, he flew in the direction of the Quidditch pitch, watching the monster recede to a somewhat-smallish flame. He felt Lily's arms tighten around his chest as they climbed higher into the night sky.

"Lily? Are you all right?" He turned to see her drop her head into his shoulder as she began to shake with sobs.

"Lily!" James flew down and around to the Gryffindor stands, landing slowly.

He helped Lily down and hugged her tightly as she silently cried into his chest. She put her arms around his neck as the tears fell quickly down her cheeks and onto James' robes.

"_It's okay…"_ He whispered, "You're alright…we're safe." He stroked her hair silently, contemplating.

"Lily?" He began slowly. "Are you afraid…of fire?" He asked gently, the realization suddenly dawning on him as he thought back to her terrified reaction when facing the flames. The Lily that he knew would usually whip out her wand and try a slew of various spells before succumbing to fear. Something was wrong, Lily never backed down from a challenge.

She was still for a moment, but then nodded as she turned to look up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were wet. James reached down to brush a tear off of her eyelashes. He kissed her forehead slowly.

"You're fine. I'll always be here to protect you. Forever." He whispered into her hair.

"Forever's quite a long time." She choked out, hugging him back tightly. The tears stung her eyes as they began to abate.

"Not when you're with someone you love."


	14. Potions and Passwords

**Alright, so this is another short chapter. However, it is probably my favorite so far! Please tell me what you think! :D oh, and I don't own Harry Potter or any associated paraphanilia and such... :P Enjoy!**

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><p>Remus had finally flipped to the last page. There were a brief few stanzas of poetry and then an envelope which was tightly sealed and taped t the book's back cover. Selene's fingers brushed against the envelope and she tore it from the notebook. As she turned it over, she saw the gleam of ink scrolled across its back.<p>

"Oh. My. God. Remus_ look at this!_ Remus-l_ook_!" Selene had a weird look on her face-a mixture of surprise and complete disbelief.

"What!" Remus said, hastily snatching the envelope from her fingers.

"Read it! _Read who it's addressed to!"_ Selene was bouncing up and down-her hair whipping up and down around her-temporarily blocking his view of the envelope.

"Selene-Selene move out of the way!"

Remus looked down and read the scrolling letters aloud.

"_For my one and only love-Albus Dumbledore. I shall love you eternally."_

Remus looked up and gaped at Selene. Selene stared back with equally wide eyes.

"Do you really think…?" He asked her helplessly. "Could this really be for…?"

"This is almost a hundred years old!" Selene shook her head, "It's impossible!"

"From my years in the wizarding world, I've certainly learned that nothing where magic is involved is impossible…it's just…a bit extraordinary. Could it be…a…er…relative of his?" Remus turned to reread the page.

"I don't think there was _ever_ another Albus Dumbledore. You know what we have to do now, don't you?" She looked up at Remus, as she closed the book.

"No," Remus shook his head, his amber eyes still alight with disbelief, "What?"

"We have to return it-to Professor Dumbledore."

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><p>After climbing into his bed and setting several silencing and un-penetrating charms around the curtains, Severus Snape did something that he'd never done before in his life-he let himself cry.<p>

The fortified mask of intelligence and formality shattered around him as he let a few tears escape his eyes. He pulled out an old, battered potions book and began to read, trying to take his mind off the previous day's events. But, droplets of water splattered onto the pages and he was forced to stop. Finally, he buried his face into his pillow, shoved all the dark green blankets over his head, and pulled a vial of potion out of his bag. After unstoppering the vial, he tipped the pink, sparkling contents down his throat. He promptly fell into a dreamless, silent sleep.

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><p>"Password?" The giant lion's painting croaked sleepily.<p>

"Ugh…I forgot that we needed a password…" Remus let his shoulders drop dramatically and his head droop significantly, as he tried to earn some sympathy from the lion guarding Dumbledore's Transfiguration office.

"No password, no entry." The lion said sleepily, laying down against its frame to rest its eyes once more.

"Hmm…perhaps I can guess it! That one time Professor Greenwhich sent me here the password was Sugarquill, and another time it was fizzing wizbee…its definitely another teype of candy…and if there's one thing Mauraders know, its candy!" Rmus grinned, running his fingers through his light brown hair in a very James-like gesture.

"Let's see…something unusual…Gushing Grape Gumdrops?"

"No."

Remus rubbed his chin in thought.

"Licorice Boot Laces?"

"No." The lion's painted face shifted into a grin.

"Chocolate Caramel Cauldron Cakes?"

"No." The lion lazily rubbed its eyes with an oversized paw.

"Still, the answer remains 'no.'"

"Exploding fruit-flies?"

"No…"

"Aw, come on!" Remus literally stamped his foot in frustration. Tests and essays he could do. Guessing Games were not his forte. Flicking his bangs out of his eyes, he took a deep breath before belting, "Red Vines! Cockroach clusters! Sugar quills! Terrified Toffee! Blistering Bonbons! Teeth Busting Sherbet? Leech Lollipops!"

"No. No. No…"

"Remus, it's alright, I've got this one." Selene pushed past an exasperated Remus and quite confidently looked the painted lion square in the eye.

"Honey-drizzled chocolate fairy dust…"

"Yes…and?"The gargoyle prompted.

"…with a dash of Romanian cinnamon." The gargoyle stepped aside as Selene spoke.

"Wha-! How did you know that!" Remus spluttered, following Selene into the waiting room of Albus Dumbledore's office.

"Intuition. Plus I overheard the teachers discussing Dumbledore's rather…unusual choices of passwords." She grinned widely, flicking her hair over her shoulder in a single, smooth motion.

"Well why couldn't you have told me that _before_ I guessed all of those silly passwords!" He knocked softly on the office door, unsure whether to feel amused of hurt.

"Well, I found your imagination quite…entertaining. And cute." She added, blushing a little in the dimly lit room.

Remus blushed as well. Not even thinking-he leaned in and kissed Selene softly on the lips. It lasted two seconds, yet seemed like forever. The kiss was short and awkward, but Selene's eyes got really wide and Remus' heart seemed to explode into a million pieces and then magically put itself back together over and over.

"Er...sorry." Remus stepped quickly away from the wide-eyed, shocked Selene. Her long blond hair was in disarray and there were faded smudges of ink across her face from earlier that day, but Remus thought that she had never looked more beautiful.

Selene opened her mouth to say something, but the door had creaked open, revealing a tired-looking Albus Dumbledore.


	15. Color me Pensive

**So I _do_ realize that my chapter names are a bit...erm...silly :P But i think they're kind of cute :) So tell me what you think of this so far... The story is almost complete! What do you like? What don't you like? Please review! Oh and I don't own Harry Potter :(**

**:D Have an awesome, sunny day! ;)**

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><p>"Ah, what a lovely surprise! And to what do I owe this late pleasure?" Albus Dumbledore smiled and adjusted his half-moon spectacles, motioning for them to enter his office.<p>

"We had something to deliver to you." Selene said, taking a seat opposite Dumbledore's desk. Despite the late hour, the room was cheery and bright. A large window to the left gave them an excellent view of the lake and of Hagrid's hut. The tiny lights of Hagrid's windows illuminated the Forbidden Forest a bit. Remus gazed out sleepily. For a second, he could have sworn that he saw two figures walking towards the castle, and then vanish into the night.

Remus rubbed his eyes tiredly and sank into a red and gold armchair next to Selene.

Professor Dumbledore was still in his navy blue robes, smiling down at them from behind his desk.

"Obviously it is something important?" He beamed expectantly down at them, waiting for a reply.

Selene, being very Selene-ish, chose instead to respond to the professor's inquiry with another question.

"If you don't mind me asking, Professor, why are _you _still awake?"

Remus mentally slapped his forehead with his palm as he bit his tongue. You weren't supposed to speak to a professor in such a manner-he was sure Selene already knew _that._ He was pretty sure that they were already pushing their luck by coming to talk to Dumbledore so early in the morning, so what he did not expect was Dumbledore's reaction to the question.

Instead of yelling or reprimanding on Selene's manners, Dumbledore smiled and chuckled. "Ah, Miss Selene, I was simply delving into the faded memories of the past."

Selene, unsure of what that meant, cocked her head to one side and asked another question: "Were you reading Hogwarts, a History. Because if you ask me, there's a little bit _too_ much past in that book-"

Remus coughed, interrupting her. "Professor, we came to give you something that we found in the library…well not _the _library exactly…"

"Why don't you start from the very beginning, I'm in the mood for a good story." The professor settled down in his chair and waved his wand, materializing a plate of cauldron cakes and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, along with a steaming pitcher of hot Chocolate. "The house elves really do outdo themselves even at this late hour!" He permitted himself a smile before taking a bite of cookie. "Go on."

"Well…" Remus glanced at Selene, who opened her mouth and took over.

"I was in the Come and Go Room tonight, studying magical anemology." Selene began rather dramatically, as if she were reading from an adventure novel.

"Magical anemology?" Professor Dumbledore prompted.

"It's the study of and search for the so called "mythical creatures" of wizarding legends. You know how humans don't believe in fairies, but they really exist?" Dumbledore nodded at this explanation. "Well there are creatures in wizarding history that many believe are nonexistent. These creatures often provide some crucial components to ancient potion theories and recipes. As I was telling Remus earlier, there are potions that can cure werewolves using the horn of a creature that is claimed to not exist-" Selene paused and Dumbledore shot an amused glance at Remus.

" I want to search for these animals. For the greater good." She added, smiling.

"For the 'greater good?'" Dumbledore's tone was one of mild amusement.

"Yes."

"And this 'Come and Go Room?' Care to explain?"

"Well, it's a room that appears whenever you most need it. You stand in front of a certain wall, pace quickly back and forth three times, and concentrate on what you want most. The room turns into whatever you want it to. Tonight, it became a library." Remus clarified, absentmindedly drumming his fingers on the side of his chair. All he could think about now was if Dumbledore thought that he had told Selene his secret…

It was Dumbledore who had told Remus not to tell _anyone_ about his "affliction." What would Dumbledore do if he suspected that Selene knew Remus was a Werewolf? Would Remus be chucked out of Hogwarts! He couldn't bear to even think about that possibility.

"Ah." Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and nodded, waiting for the story to continue.

"Well, I was reading about potions and creatures and such, when I heard a knock at the door…"

"The door of the 'Come and Go Room?'"

"Yes. I answered the door, and Remus came in. I explained magical anemology to him, and then we decided to go and explore the magical library." Selene continued.

"Yeah. We were walking through all the different sections when we came upon this one particularly interesting book in the poetry section…" Remus added, smiling a little as he looked at Selene.

"And I'm assuming that this book we are talking about is not the Iliad?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Correct, sir. I think it would be easier if we just showed you…it's…er…hard to explain."

Selene pushed the book forward. "There's a letter addressed to you in the back. We think the whole book was meant for you…or maybe one of your relatives?"

For a few seconds, Albus Dumbledore was completely silent as he flipped through the book to the back and read the cover of the letter. He flipped back to the front of the book and searched for the name of the author before scanning over several of the poems. His usual face of masked-emotion was suddenly broken and replaced with a look of complete befuddlement, something Remus thought that he would never see on the Proffesor's face. As immediately as the look of confusion manifested itself, it was gone. Dumbledore flipped through and silently read a few pages, chuckling to himself at first, and then he became completely silent. A few tears came to the old Professor's eyes.

"Professor?" Selene asked quietly as Remus tried to shush her.

"Yes, Miss Montesquieu?" Dumbledore continued to gaze down reverently at the diary.

"Is it yours?" She whispered. "You certainly _do_ have 'aqua eyes.'"

Dumbledore chuckled again, only more softly than the last time.

"Yes, this book was written to me. I have been looking for it for a very, very long time."

"Is it alright if…could you maybe tell us…er…"

The Professor looked up at them with his piercing, blue eyes. "Ask and you shall receive. The story behind this is…rather complex."

Selene leaned forward eagerly, resting her head on her hands.

"Professor…if you don't want to talk to us about this…it _is_ late…" Remus quickly interjected, uncomfortable. Selene shot him a look of pure venom, which softened a bit when their eyes met.

"No, no, Mr. Lupin, it's perfectly alright. One should not attempt to suppress curiosity, for it is curiosity that leads to learning. And I _am_ a professor, am I not?" The professor smiled down at his students as he raised his wand, saying "_Accio Letter!"_

Instantly, an old, deteriorating, piece of parchment flew out of a cabinet and into Dumbledore's raised hand. It had a barely-distinguishable script on the front that was noticeably similar to that on the letter that had been taped to the back of the diary.

"Perhaps this would be easier to explain using…ah, yes." The professor closed his eyes, put his wand to his temple, and pulled a silvery white strand of memories from his mind.

"Wha-!" Remus spluttered, watching as the memories of Albus Dumbledore swirled around the tip of his wand.

"Patience, Mr. Lupin, is a virtue." The teacher smiled before adding lightly, "You of all people should know that."

He motioned for Selene and Remus to rise.

"There are several memories of which I am sure will explain the situation quite punctually." The professor leaned up against his desk, smiling a bit as he did so.

"What do you mean, professor? How will memories explain?" Selene's eyes had become wider and quite impossibly bluer. She was practically vibrating with a combination of anticipation and wonder.

"This, my dear child, is a Pensive. With it, you can both view my memories of the past. Of course, they are specific memories that I have chosen. Those swirling strands of memory will allow you to see what I have seen, to experience an experience as I have experienced it." He smiled again, teeth blinking in the light.

"You must simply reach into the basin and-" But Selene had already poked the memory. She gasped as she spun and tumbled into the memories of Albus Dumbledore.


	16. Time and Memories

**Short tidbit of the story since I've left you all hanging for a few days... :D sorry its so short there's more written but I'm working through a few particularly difficult plot holes! so read on and please review! Oh and Blink-182 is on tour so if you can get tickets-GO! Alright, that's all :)**

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><p>"Selene!" Remus gasped, jumping after her. He heard the professor chuckle and mutter something about 'young love' before he was swallowed up in the cold mist of the memory.<p>

"Selene! Selene?" When the mist abated, Remus looked around to take in the scene. He was inside the Ministry of Magic. Before him stood a strapping, brown haired youth with bright blue eyes-the teenage Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's face was unmarred by the hands of time; unwrinkled and beardless. There were no half-moon spectacles hanging off the end of his nose-which was very much straight and un-crooked.

Dumbledore was checking his watch absentmindedly. Selene was standing off to his side, but it was apparent that he was unable to see her.

"Selene!" He ran to her as she shushed him.

"SHHH! We might miss something!"

"Miss what? He's only checking the time-" Remus turned around to see that Dumbledore was now half way down the hall. "Let's go!" Selene grabbed his hand and sprinted down the hall.

Remus was both startled and pleased at the same time at the feeling of her hand in his.

"Isn't he cute?" giggled Selene when they had caught up with the 17 or 18 year old professor.

Dumbledore strode further until he finally came to the end of the corridor-to a door labeled "Department of Mysteries."

He glanced around him before entering, Selene and Remus on his heels.

"Department of Mysteries! Was he an Unspeakable-?"

"Shhhhh!" Selene cut Remus's sentence short.

They followed Albus through a large and palin door to the left.

"_Ah, Albus! Just barely on time! You could have compromised the whole operation!" A middle-aged unspeakable with a scrubby beard tapped his watch and looked down sternly at the young teenage boy._

"_I'm sorry Marcus, but I had important business to attend to." The young Dumbledore rubbed his bright blue eyes tiredly, reminding Remus much of the Dumbledore they had left in the Transfiguration office. _

"_More important than the fate of the wizarding world! Albus, you must get your priorities straight! What on earth have you been doing?" The wizard scowled as he sat down at the desk._

_Dumbledore looked up at the wizard coldly. "I was settling the affairs of my sister. She died two weeks ago." _

_For a moment, the two stared intensely at one another. Dumbledore looked furiously at the older wizard, while Marcus tried to keep up his serious, scowling demeanor. Eventually, his face expression turned to one of sympathy._

"_I apologize, Dumbledore. This is quite important, though. However, I can now see why you would be willing to take on such a daunting and risky task."_

"_And just what is that supposed to mean?" The teenaged Dumbledore was not as in control of his emotions as Professor Dumbledore, the Transfiguration teacher. His eyes flashed and his fists clenched. Remus could tell that it was taking all his strength not to lash out at the man with a string of complex curses. _

"_You are under a lot of stress. Understandably, to have a dear one die usually causes people to do rash and often-stupid things." The man smiled a bit at Albus' discomfort._

Remus looked a bit more closely at the teen. His eyes were rimmed with shadows and he looked a bit defeated. Dumbledore was utterly exhausted.

"I didn't know he had a sister!" Remus whispered, momentarily forgetting that Marcus and Albus could not hear him.

Selene only responded with a loud "_Shhhhhhh_!"

Remus crossed his arms defensively but smirked all the while as Selene danced around excitedly, awaiting the next page in the story.

"_Stress! You don't know the half of it." Dumbledore slid sadly into a chair in facing the desk._

"_Are you ready, then?" Marcus opened his desk drawer and pulled out a glistening, golden object on a chain. A tiny hourglass lodged inside several rings of thin gold._

"A time turner!" Selene said aloud.

Remus gasped-he had heard about these spindly objects all his life, but had never seen one before. It was fragile and beautiful. He wondered how something so tiny and delicate could ever take a person back in time.

"_You know what you have to do, Dumbledore." Marcus said quietly, "Do not tamper with the past too much. You're a smart boy, so I trust you."_

_Dumbledore nodded in appreciation to the complement._

"_Remember your alias, do you?" Marcus questioned, stepping around the desk and handing Dumbledore a rucksack along with the time turner._

"_Yes…__Bryant Apollyon."_

"_Very good. Now, you'll be sent back three months before THE EVENT. Be careful and remember your cover."_

"_I know, I know." Dumbledore wound the long time turner chain around himself and his rucksack. _

"_Okay, leave at 5:30 and not a single second before. Here, Albus, may God bless you." The man dropped his serious demeanor for the second time that day and clasped Dumbledore's hand. The two men shook hands firmly, and then Marcus passed Dumbledore a beat up old watch. _

"_It's five fifteen on the dot…you leave in three…."_

Remus looked over at Selene. He took a step closer to her and, feeling a sudden surge of Gryffindor bravery, took her hand in his.

"…_two…one…"_

The scene blurred as the portkey swept Dumbledore, Selene and Remus through the building and across the country. Even though they were in a pensive, the portkey had the same nauseating effect on Selene and Remus as they swirled around the country to an unknown destination.

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><p><strong>...I don't own HP I only own the plot of this story ... HAve an awesome summer! :)<strong>


	17. Chocolate Moustaches

**Okay so apparently everyone likes the Lily/James mushiness (if that's a word...) so yeah. Here you go. I hope I didn't _over_ do it :) Tell me how you like it :D **

**I don't own Harry Potter...or Lily Potter...or James Potter...in fact I don't own anything but the plot. :D Enjoy! and pleaseeeee review! XD**

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><p>"All clear." James motioned for Lily to follow him around the Great Hall as they crept under his invisibility cloak. The corridor was completely devoid of life and was pitch black-Peeves had most likely doused the lights with a bucket of water.<p>

"Lumos…" James held his wand in front of him and slowly stepped forward.

"Finally…" Lily shivered, staring around at the familiarity of the dozing paintings and tapestries.

"You cold?" James let the wand light brush across her face to make sure that she was okay.

"More like stressed…" She let her hair fall in front of her eyes to hide the fear that still lingered on her face.

"I know what'll make you feel better!" James whispered brightly.

"I think I just want to go to back to my room right now…"

"I didn't think we'd reached that part in our relationship yet…but if you insist…"

"Oh, shut up, James! You _know_ I wasn't talking about that! Now, what were you going to say before…?"

"Oh-you need some good old Hogwarts hot chocolate-brewed fresh!" He smiled as he led the way up a staircase.

"Whenever I'm tired or stressed or…for lack of a better word, emotional…" He watched the grin flicker across Lily's face, "I go down to the kitchens and they whip up the very best no matter what hour of night it is. Come on…"

He pulled her in the general direction of the kitchens. As they turned a corner Lily froze and grabbed James. They both stood very still, eyes reflecting the glow of wand light that was coming from up ahead.

Someone else was in the corridor with them. They were not alone.

"_Who do you suppose it is?" _Lily whispered, moving her mouth next to James' ear.

"_Just…walk quietly. They won't be able to see us…but we'll see them." _He moved forward, getting a firm hold on Lily's hand as he held his wand aloft.

It was true, they weren't the only people out of their beds that night-nestled behind a huge statue of Grackles the Gruesome were two tall figures.

A tall, freckled boy was passionately kissing a shorter, pretty girl with a pointed nose and flushed cheeks. They were both still in their school robes and had a few lit candles floating around them.

Lily recognised them as two seventh years-the boy was from Gryffindor and the girl from Hufflepuff.

James stared open mouthed at the two as he and Lily tip-toed past.

Less than a minute later, James tickled the pear of a large still-life painting and opened the door into the kitchens. A few small elves came bobbing up to assist them.

"My _God!"_ James let out as the door closed behind them, "That was Kerr Josh! The _Keeper _Kerr Josh! From the Quidditch team! With _Maxene __Annora__! _Just wait 'til I tell Sirius!"

"I knew who it was. But-_Sirius? _Why would you tell Sirius?" Lily raised her eyebrows in an oddly Snape-like gesture.

"Well…er…he sort of _fancied _her…" James cocked his head questioningly, as if stating the obvious.

"You mean he wanted to go out with her and then dump her the next day?" Lily crossed her arms, eyebrows all but disappearing under her bangs.

"Well….I suppose that _is_ Sirius Black's manner of fancying people…" James looked fearfully at Lily.

"And what will he do now that the object of his affections is unavailable?"

James cupped his hand in his palm, thinking."Probably get angry for a few days…yell a bit…then he'll get over it. Knowing Sirius he'll most likely try to make her jealous or duel her boyfriend or something of that nature…"

"That's horrible! You _can't_ tell Black about Kerr and Maxene! They were obviously going out in secret for a reason!" She scowled as James shrugged.

"Kind of like us…?" James looked at her meaningfully, a smile spreading across his face cutely. Lily had never seen such adorable dimples-but she looked away, arms still crossed.

"That's different…"

"Sure it is…" James was still smiling, though, and threw and arm around her shoulder. The two were silent for a moment as Lily uncrossed her arms and leaned into James's embrace.

"Hello sir and madam!" A House Elf squeaked, taking advantage of the momentary silence, "how can we be of service?"

"Two of your finest Honeydukes Hot Chocolates please!" James said with gusto, grabbing a chocolate frog off a passing tray. They were already melting due to the heat radiating off from the oven.

" 'O ya wan haff?" He wiggled his eyebrows as he attempted to talk through a mouth full of melting frog.

"Ugh, no thanks." Lily giggled, trying to push the chocolate-faced James away from her as he tried to kiss her cheek. The disagreement was almost forgotten.

"Got you!" James smeared chocolate onto the side of her face.

"Eww! Gross, James!" But Lily laughed anyway as she grabbed a napkin and began furiously scrubbing at hers' and James' faces, trying to get the melted chocolate off.

In all, there were only about seven House Elves in the kitchens, "Where are the rest of the elves? Surely there are more?" She looked inquiringly at James rather than at the elves, who were now busily preparing a tray of snacks.

"They're all up cleaning the common rooms and school and things like that…ah, thank you." He accepted perfectly brewed mug of hot chocolate and passed it to Lily. "Take a sip."

"I'm rather fine at the moment…"

"It's delicious…"

"I'm really not that thirsty…"

"Come on its soooo good…"

"We really _do_ need to get back to the Gryffindor Tower…"

"You know you want to take a sip…"

"James, I just want to go back up to my room-"

"Lily Evans you will drink that hot chocolate and you will _LOVE_ it!" James put his hands on his hips after downing his own hot chocolate in a single gulp, leaving a bubbly moustache on his top lip.

Lily sipped the hot chocolate hesitantly-she was utterly exhausted.

The instant the beverage touched her lips, she felt a warmth run through her veins as if she had just taken Pepper-up Potion after a particularly bad cold. She felt more alert and at ease. She took another gulp, feeling even better.

She looked up at James and at his cute hot chocolate mustache.

"You just _love_ getting chocolate on your face, don't you?" Her eyes glittered with laughter.

"It's kind of a talent, actually." He grabbed a napkin off a table.

"No, here, I'll get it." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips, totally not doing anything to get rid of James' chocolate facial hair.

James leaned into the kiss eagerly, not expecting so much affection at such a late hour at night.

The House Elves had seemingly melted into the background, the only indication of their presence being the occasionally clatter of a pot or pan towards the back of the kitchen.

James pulled away after a few moments. "We really should get back-I bet our friends are going bonkers looking for us…"

"Yeah…" Lily smoothed back her hair, blushing furiously.

"Sirius Black knows we're together, though….I don't doubt that he's already assumed the worst…"

"Yeah, but Remus is probably pacing in front of the portrait hole…nervous git he is…wouldn't ever stay out past curfew even if he had met the love of his life…"

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 will be out soon! Hope you didn't drown in overly lovey-dovey romantic fluff stuff...<strong>

**i apologize :D lol jk**


	18. Time Travel for Dummies

**Okay so...we're back to Selene and Remus's quest to uncover the secrets of the diary.**

**Just a couple of FYIs: **

**-In case any of you don't know-Selene is Luna Lovegood's mother...I looked it up online**

**-The best chocolate in the world can only be found in England**

**-The novel Slaughter House Five was probably non-exsistant in Remus and Selene's time, but I used it anyway since its an excellent read and left my mind stirring with time-travel ideas and theories about the universe and other stuff that is otherwise not relevent to the world of witchcraft and wizardry. So it goes.**

**-I don't own Harry Potter. But I'm pretty sure you already knew that. :)**

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><p>Remus looked over at Selene. He took a step closer to her and, feeling a sudden surge of Gryffindor bravery, took her hand in his.<p>

"…_two…one…"_

The scene blurred as the portkey swept Dumbledore, Selene and Remus through the building and across the country. Even though they were in a pensive, the portkey had the same nauseating effect on Selene and Remus as they swirled around the country to an unknown destination.

When they finally landed, Remus was glad he had a good hold of Selene's hand. The two held on to one another as they spiraled to the ground.

"Remus!" Selene cried out, a little more than scared.

"It's okay, I've got you." He said, as they plummeted from the sky. He wrapped his arms around her as they descended. _"And I'm not ever letting go."_ He whispered into the wind.

Young Dumbledore alighted to the ground with the grace of a swan. Remus, using his wolf-enhanced senses, was able to land Selene and himself safely on the ground. They stood there for a moment, arms entwined, before awkwardly breaking away.

"Thanks." Selene muttered, following Dumbledore over a hill and up to the magnificent gates of-

"Hogwarts!" Remus breathed, staring up at the school that they had just left behind-or were still within.

Dumbledore checked the watch that had doubled as a portkey.

"_Alright, leave in exactly six minutes…"_Albus muttered to himself, nervously twiddling with the time turner that was draped around his shoulders. He fixed the dial and flipped the glass.

"Oi! You, there! What do you think you're doing!" A mean looking wizard was walking towards Dumbledore threateningly. Dumbledore froze in panic. He clearly had not been expecting this.

The man raised his wand to disarm Dumbledore, but at the last second Albus flicked the time turner and spun away through time, numbers and runes and discombobulated scenes spinning in and out of view as the three hurled through space and time, five minutes seconds early.

Dumbledore hastily stuffed the time turner back into his black robes. The sky was lighter and the Hogwarts Castle glistened a bit in the setting sun.

Now that Remus could see a bit better, he noticed that Dumbledore was wearing Hogwarts robes. They were long, plain looking, and a bit battered. Remus looked down at his own, equally as battered robes. Dumbledore wound a bright Gryffindor tie round his neck to complete the ensemble.

Selene looked anxiously around them as Dumbledore began to walk towards the castle at a quick stride.

"What's wrong?" Remus whispered, apprehensive, as Selene glanced over her shoulder to where the angry wizard would be standing in the future.

"We left five minutes early." She said slowly, brow furrowed.

"So what?"

"Well…I've studied the theories and science of time, and by arriving five minutes _early_ in the past, Dumbledore could seriously screw something up…"

"I think you mean Siriusly…" Remus giggled a little.

"What? That's what I just said…" Selene looked at him, confused.

"No, Sirius spelled S-I-R-I-U-S…I couldn't resist. It's a running joke between me and the other Marauders…" Selene cracked a grin.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Remus smiled apologetically.

"Well, didn't that guy at the ministry make it oftly clear that Dumbledore had to arrive _precisely_ on time?"

"I guess so…"

"Well, they definitely weren't planning on Dumbledore leaving early, but he panicked and time traveled five minutes before his scheduled departure…now everything Dumbledore does in _this_ time will be five minutes _early_. It's a flaw in the plan!"

"You know…it amazes me how you can be so clear and confusing at the same time…" Remus said, not quite understanding Selene's explanation. "I once tried to wrap my head around the whole time thing when I was reading a book about time travel … Slaughterhouse Five…but I just _couldn't_ get it… I'd spend hours trying to work out time travel and the consequences of being "un stuck" in time…but after a while I just sort of…gave up. The way I see it, we are meant to let time run its course and not to interfere. What will happen will happen, right? That's why I don't really believe in the use of time turners-they just screw with time and events and such… we should just let it be…"

"But wouldn't you agree with me when I say that people that use time turners are simply going with the course of time? After all, they were _meant _to go back in time, otherwise they wouldn't have done so in the first place, right?" Selene said slyly.

"See-this is where it gets confusing!" Remus whacked his forehead with his palm.

Dumbledore had stopped. They had walked to the edge of the gate, the two winged boars baring the entrance.

"Why were you studying time travel anyway?" Remus turned away from Dumbledore to look at Selene, who waved the question away airily with her hand.

"That, my dear Remus, is a story for another time…it had something to do with magical anemology but it is completely irrelevant at this particular moment in _time._" She grinned.

A heavy padlock was secured around the gate, locking Dumbledore out. There were most likely dozens of spells keeping him out as well. He studied the heavy piece of metal and the air around it intently.

But, just as Dumbledore went to unlock the padlock with a swipe of his wand, a figure came striding towards them.

A young, strapping red haired man was gingerly walking around the edge of the grounds on the other side of the fence. Dumbledore was clearly not expecting to see anyone else by the fence, and made to back away and disapperate. However, as he tried to step purposefully forward and disappear into the whispering wind, Dumbledore tripped and fell flat on his face. He was within the protective boundaries of Hogwarts, and could therefore neither apparate nor disapparate.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing!" The man shouted, running up to the gate's edge. He had a bright Head Boy badge on the front of his robes, and was wearing a tie identical to Dumbledore's.

"How did you get out there! All the students are supposed to be inside for the welcoming feast! Did you use a passageway? What's your name, child? Answer me!" The Head boy was now red-faced and angry.

Dumbledore shrugged, still a bit stunned by the boy's sudden appearance. It was clear that he had been counting on slipping onto the grounds unnoticed.

"Had we arrived five minutes later, Dumbledore wouldn't of come across anyone…" Selene whispered.

The red head began to undo the padlock with a rather large key as he muttered spells to break the protective enchantments. Within a minute, the great iron gate swung open, and the Head Boy tugged Dumbledore in by his robes as he sealed the gate shut behind them.

Remus and Selene ran in just in time to feel the gate slam against their backs.

"Lucky I was patrolling the grounds, you are! Some of the Bauxboutons are late, so we've been looking for them in case their carriages go lost..." The boy scowled, clearly wishing that he were inside the castle.

"How did you get out there anyway?" The boy asked, "Who are you? What year?"

Dumbledore had finally seemed to gain his wits back. He wrenched himself from the boy's grip and turned his wand on him.

Dumbledore didn't utter a sound, and yet his spell hit the boy strong and true. Suddenly the red head's eyes became cloudy and his face became emotionless.

"I'm a Gryffindor at Hogwarts…I always have been. I'm in my sixth year. ..My name is Bryant Apollyon." Dumbledore began in a slow voice, brain washing the Head Boy. "Tonight I was helping you patrol the grounds…I volunteered and you said it was alright…you will take the blame for any trouble I get into…" Dumbledore muttered a few other things under his breath, no doubt filling the boy's mind with false memories.

"Now, what is your name?" Dumbledore asked the spaced-out Gryffindor.

"Jess Darren Weasley…" The boy said, still in a trance.

Selene and Remus's eyes widened, they both thought of the red haired Weasley boy who had graduated a few years earlier with his girlfriend, Molly.

"Do you really think that it's…?" Remus said aloud, wondering how possible it was that Arthur Weasley and Jess Darren Weasley were related.

"They _definitely are_…_" _Selene answered.

When Dumbledore lowered his wand, Jess Darren Weasley shook his head and seemed to come to. His face regained its expression and his eyes un-fogged.

"Sorry mate." Jess Darren smiled. "It's getting late…I just keep losing my focus."

"It's alright." Dumbledore said, pretending that he had not just entered the boy's mind and added a bunch of fake memories.

"Well…we better go back to searching…I heard the French are supposed to be rude. What do you think?"

Dumbledore shrugged in response. "A person's a person. We should just wait and see for ourselves…" They walked for about ten minutes through the grounds.

Jess Darren had begun to talk about some complex potions and old spells that Selene and Remus had never heard of. Dumbledore nodded eagerly and spoke avidly with the Head Boy. Selene and Remus trailed behind them, both watching as every few seconds Dumbledore glanced at his pocket watch.

"And then I _think_ the professor got it wrong-we should have added twelve Beetle legs not thirteen! Ah, well…you shall know all about it next year when you get into N.E.W.T.s I suppose…" Jess Darren trailed off, stopping suddenly.

"Over there! I think I see them!" He cried, going into a sprint with Dumbledore close on his heels.

The French magic students had, indeed, gotten lost. They had landed two of their small but ornate carriages in the Lake.

"Help!" a young girl cried in English as the rest were rapidly yapping away in fluent French.

"Oh, Merlin's pants! I _knew_ the headmaster should have given them better landing instructions, I just _knew_ it!"

Jess Darren rolled up his sleeves and took out his wand.

Remus and Selene walked over to the side of the Lake. There were two old fashioned stage coaches painted light powder blue floating in the lake. They were larger than the average coach and looked as if they could hold at least twenty people each.

Students bobbed up and down in the cold water, lifting their arms towards the sky as some attempted to cast spells and others tried to swim to shore.

"What a disaster!" Selene looked at a few of the younger children, who were clinging, terrified to the tops of the stagecoaches. The coaches seemed to be floating due to enchantments cast upon it by the older students.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air amid all the chaos in the water.

_"__Veuillez m'aider ! Quelque chose a ma jambe qu'elle me traîne sous la surface!"_

The owner of the voice was a girl who was at least twenty feet away from all the others. She was being dragged out quickly towards the Lake's center.

"_M'aider! M'aider!" _She cried, going under.

The other students in the water were unable to help her as she was going out far too quickly. Most of them could barely swim enough to save themselves.

"What is it! What's got her!" Selene cried, jumping from foot to foot in apprehension.

"Grindylow." Remus stated blankly. He had read about occurrences like this in his Defense against the Dark Arts Textbook. The chances of getting snatched by a Grindylow in such a shallow area were ten to one, but if one did catch you, there was a slim chance of making it let go.

Dumbledore seemed to recognize the assailant as a Grindylow as well. He threw off his shoes and pulled his robes off over his head. The teenage boy jumped into the water in his dress pants and dark grey t-shirt. Albus Dumbledore's robes and tie lay forsaken at Jess's feet.

His swimming was world class, but even he could not out swim a grindylow. The girl was unconscious, now, being dragged in the creature's wake.

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><p><strong>Will Dumbledore be able to save her! Will Selene and Remus become a couple? Will we EVER learn about the origins of the diary of poetry or will this story keep dragging on and on and on and on...etc. !<strong>

**These questions and more answered...soon! Tune in next time for the stunning plot development of _SPIRALING LOVE._**

**_Did I sell it there or what! Lol _**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and the over all story so far! I've had a blast writing it ! Please let me know what you think-Reviews are always welcome :D**

**Although...if I used reverse phsicology and said _DON'T REVIEW_, would more of you review! Hmm...I'll have to try that soon... :)**


	19. Siriusly, Where's Moony?

**Okayyy so this is a MUCH longer chapter than usual... :) I've been really busy but I just remembered that I had it saved so...here you go! (I didn't exactly..."edit" it...well, _most_ of it isn't edited, anyway.) So please, don't mind my mistakes and grammar trip-ups! :D I hope you enjoy this next installment of "Spiraling Love." I hope I leave you looking forward to the next chapter! And pleassseeeee review! What do you love? What do you hate? What do you think Sirius's favourite color is! Anyway...ENJOY! :D**

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><p>Sirius Black was lying in his bed, staring at his clock. He had just woken up from a particularly harsh nightmare. In the dream, his mother had been running 'round the Great hall, hitting him over and over with his broom. AS she did so, she was yelling "BLOOD TRAITOR! BLOOD TRAITOR!" In a curiously high voice that Sirius recognized as Bellatrix's.<p>

Once he had calmed down, he reasoned with himself that he had nothing to fear, his mother wouldn't dare set foot in Hogwarts knowing that her son was a Gryffindor.

It had been a relatively good day for Sirius-he had finally mastered a quadruple loop-de-loop on his broomstick without getting completely dizzy or disoriented. He had even had a crowd of admierers to witness the amazing feat. Sirius lay there, content, picturing the perfect Quidditch match in which Gryffindor finally beat Slytherin once and for all. There would be cheering and laughter and a large crowd of crest-fallen, steaming Slytherins. Sirius wondered if there was a charm that would make stem _literally_ pour from the Slytherin's ears. Surely, Remus would know of it if there was such a thing!

He turned to tell James about this amazing thought-to encourage the chaser. But all he saw was an empty, perfectly-made bed.

Sirius frowned-surely James would have been back from his date with Lily by now? He turned to his right to go and ask Remus what he thought-only to see that Remus' bed was empty as well.

Sirius felt a hint of panic in the pit of his stomach-had the Marauders decided to go prank the Gryffindor first year girls without waking him! They _had_ been planning on replacing the girls' shampoo with green hair dye the _following_ night, hadn't they!

Sirius sprang from his bed and stumbled over his slippers towards Peter's bed. He noisily wrenched open the curtains to find that the chubby, brown haired Marauder fast asleep.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Sirius said rather loudly, shoving Peter a bit. He suddenly remembered that the last time he had seen Remus, the werewolf had been in a state of pure rage. He felt a cold shiver of panic expand and rise to his chest.

"Wha-!" Pete rubbed his eyes groggily as he sat up. "Leave me alone…"

"No, Pete, this is serious! You have to wake up!"

"I know it's you, Sirius, I can see…"

"No-I-I mean this is important!" Sirius scowled. His friend, however, smiled a bit at the misunderstanding.

"Have you seen Remus-or James lately?"

Peter looked at the two empty beds, and then back at Sirius.

"Oh, no! Did I miss the hair dye prank!" Peter Pettigrew scrambled out of bed, hastily pulling his slippers on.

"No, no you git! They're just _gone_. James went out with Lily I think-"

"Wait-Evans _actually_ said _yes!_" Peter looked incredulous.

"Yes, yes." Sirius waved the thought away impatiently. "But Remus is gone too! I have not a clue as to where he could possibly be! The last time I saw him, he was about to tear apart an old classroom…"

"Tear apart a…?"

"Come on, then, we've got to go and make sure he isn't sleeping in the library again!" Sirius tugged the chubby marauder off of his bed and pulled him towards the door.

"And what about James!" Peter stumbled as he rubbed his eyes again.

"James is fine, I'm sure." Sirius said dismissively. James, he knew, could take care of himself. He was a thick sculled git with a little too much "Gryffindor Courage" at times. _And_ was bound to do something stupid as hell. But, James Potter undoubtedly knew how to take care of himself.

No, it was Remus-the tiniest and wolfiest of the Maruaders-that he was _really _worried about. Remus only ever stayed up this late to study. But whenever he did _that_ he was sitting in the cozy common room, obscured by piles of books and parchment.

He climbed hastily down the stairs, not even bothering to muffle his footsteps. Wormtail followed as quickly as a half-asleep animagus could-which was _very _slow.

Sirius leapt down the final few stairs with ease, stumbling into the dimly lit common room. The fires were almost out and the sky through the windows was still a murky black strewn with stars. And in the middle of this tranquil, warm setting were-

James and Lily.

Snogging.

Both looked rather love-drunk and spaced out. Sirius was happy that James had finally won the heart of the girl he had been pinning for. However, Sirius quickly became annoyed when he saw that James was wearing his favourite Gryffindor tie. It was the red and gold one-the tie with the little broomsticks embroidered into it.

"Oi! You two-get a room!" Sirius jeered as he walked out of the shadows, Peter huffing behind him.

They broke apart quickly, both glowing red. Peter, who had just missed the kiss by a second, looked between Lily and James questioningly.

"Well we _had_ one, thanks." James retorted quickly, despite the rising colour in his face.

"Glad to see it finally worked out between you lovely blokes…anyways…have you seen Remus recently?" Sirius asked James, concerned.

"Not since earlier…why? He's not in bed yet?" A nervous line creased James's forehead as he took another step away from Lily, coming closer to Sirius. Sirius shook his head.

"The last time that I saw him was…" James began.

"…when we left him alone to calm down." Sirius finished.

Both boys' eyes got a bit wider when they realized the full weight of the situation. Each held the others' gaze, wondering what had happened to their best werewolf friend. Sirius was hoping that Remus hadn't hurt himself, while James was trying to think back to the dismal few moments spent inside the un-used classroom with Remus.

"Well-he was in a quite a state, wasn't he?" James asked shakily, remembering Remus' cries of anguish.

"_I don't want to be Moony! I don't want to be a Werewolf! Any girl that I like is in danger-I'll never be able to get married! I'll never be able to get a decent job! I'll never be able to have children!" _Remus had been venting year's worth of pent up emotion. Clearly he had been torn inside-one part of him wanted to continue on living his double life, the other wanted to give in to his lycanthropy and to admit defeat. He wanted to keep pretending to be normal and go to classes like all the other kids. But he wanted all the pain and anger to end.

_"Moon-Remus-we didn't know that you felt that way."_

_"I'm sure you'll find a girl, though! You can handle your furry little problem like you do here, at Hogwarts-" Sirius had begun, only to be cut off by Lupin's bitter laughter._

_"You really think any girl would feel comfortable around me? Knowing full well what I am? And besides, even if one did…It's not as if I can just carry around a Whomping Willow with me whenever I need to transform!" _Lupin's words-all of them-had been true. Finding a hiding place for his transformations would be hard after he left Hogwarts. Also, Lycanthropy was seen as a highly unpredictable and dangerous condition in the magical world. No mother would let her daughter date a werewolf.

_"Remus-it's just like you said. 'If it's meant to happen, it will.' But honestly…you're acting the part of the baby, not me."_ James could still see the hurt etched across Remus's drawn face if he closed his eyes. His heart squirmed a bit with remorse.

_"We can't just leave him, Prongs." Sirius had said to James, concerned. _Had Sirius been right! Had Lupin hurt himself with all of his pent up emotion?

_There was an explosion from behind them, coming from the classroom where James and Sirius had left their friend._

_"Yes, we can. He needs to work this out himself. There's nothing we can do until he comes to his senses. We'd probably just end up like that desk."_James knew that what he had said had been true-there was no reasoning with Remus when he was in a mood. But had he made a crucial mistake! What if Remus had _needed_ his two best friends to calm him down? What if he had somehow hurt himself in his rage? What if he was…dead!

The thought was so horrible that James shuddered with fear.

"My God! They poor guy's probably killed himself!" Sirius said, as usual he was on the same brainwave as James.

Without a word, they both ran through the portrait hole, Lily and Peter close behind.

"We shouldn't have left him alone in that state, Prongs! We should have let him take it out on _us!_ He probably ripped himself to shreds or…or…he could've _killed_ someone _else_! Someone could have figured out about his 'furry little problem'!" Sirius babbled in horror, skirting along the corridor edges as Peter and Lily followed confusedly.

"I'm sure Rem's fine…" James spluttered, not sounding too convinced himself as he watched his usually relaxed friend frantically run through the halls.

"Sirius…whatever it is, I think you're overreacting…" Lily began as Sirius wrenched open classroom doors-hoping to find a cheerfully studying werewolf in one.

"You didn't _see_ Remus earlier today-he was absolutely _out of his mind_!" Sirius kept checking rooms and peering in doorways. "What if the Slytherins got a hold of him! He could be tied up somewhere…"

"Sirius, you need to calm down and go back up to bed." Lily said slowly. "I'm sure Remus is just doing one of his famous late night cramming sessions again and just lost track of time…"

"Yeah but he _always_ does those in the common room!" Sirius turned to look at Lily. His light grey eyes wide with worry.

James ran ahead to go check the classroom that they had left Remus in earlier. The classroom where Lily and Severus had kissed. The room was utterly empty and ripped apart.

"Sirius-you had better come and see this!" James called down the corridor to the other three.

"He probably snuck into the library and hid there after hours." Lily tried to keep her tone of voice matter-of-fact but was failing miserably as she ran on Sirius's heals.

"What is it James-Oh Merlin…!" Sirius stepped into the room, looking 'round in amazement.

"_Our_ Moony did this!" Sirius looked at the scraped walls and torn up desks. Had he not been so worried about his friend, he would have been excited about the amount of damage the Marauders could do if they harnessed the power of pre-moon Remus.

Lily walked in next, followed by a bemused Peter Pettigrew.

"_Why_ was he going so crazy? What could possibly make Remus so mad?" Peter had spoken up for the first time.

"We got into an argument." James said, thinking quickly. He knew that the smallest Marauder would believe this story for now, as he wasn't the fastest broom in the cabinet.

"Oh-this room? I was in here earlier today…wait a moment-_Remus _did this! Remus-I-refuse-to-hurt-a-fly Lupin! But, what kind of spell did he use to blast all of those desks apart like that? And to-to scratch those marks into the wall!" Lily now joined the Marauders in looking frightened.

"_He didn't use a spell at all…" _Sirius muttered under his breath so that Lily could not hear. He examined the claw marks in the wall to his right. They were at least two inches deep and were as wide as a fingertip each.

"I'll explain later…" James told Lily dismissively.

"Wait a minute!" Sirius rounded on James, "She's your girlfriend for all of five minutes and you're already prepared to betray the deepest and darkest secrets of the Marauders to her!"

"Pretty much, yeah." James looked around the room again. "I've got not a clue of where he could be at this point, Padfoot. I hate to be frank, but if he were dead, the body would be in here, wouldn't it?" James kicked a desk piece with his foot, hands in his robe pockets.

Sirius nodded gravely, not quite listening. "Perhaps he went to Pomfry-"

"-Or the kitchens-" Peter supplied helpfully.

"-Or perhaps the library!" Lily finished off hopefully.

"There's a whole castle full of places he could be! I wish we would've listened to that spell in charms…the one that allows you to locate things…" James looked gloomily at his feet, having flashback to a particularly rowdy game of exploding snap that had occurred during the lesson. He, Sirius and Peter had all received two weeks' worth of detention for their "horribly insubordinate and ghastly behavioral issues." Remus had been quietly taking notes. He was the only Marauder who knew the spell.

James looked to Lily hopefully. "Lily-you're smart, aren't you? You learned that spell, right?"

"Well…was that the spell we learned last Thursday? I was in the hospital wing with a dislocated shoulder from Care of Magical Creatures…remember the rogue thestral incident!" She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered. James had tried to forget about the incident as well-a thestral, invisible to all of the class save the teacher and a snively Snape, had gone crazy in the middle of a feeding session. It had plucked Lily up by the back of her robes, and had flown off to the astronomy tower. It had dropped Lily over the Lake where the giant squid had pushed her to safety. She had twisted as she was dropped in such a way that her shoulder had been pulled from its socket.

"Right-never mind, then." James put a comforting arm around Lily and squeezed her heeled shoulder.

"So-shall we split up?" Sirius shifted anxiously, still trying to absorb the condition of the room and the fact that Moony had wreaked such havoc.

"I'll go with Lily!" James declared loudly as Peter snickered.

"Fine. But no snogging." Sirius stated matter-of-factly. James' face fell.

"Awww, why are you depriving me?" James whined, pouting absurdly. Lily smacked his arm and laughed a bit.

"We'll go check the Hospital Wing, and then the Transfiguration rooms." She said, unwrapping herself from James' grip.

"Good. Pete-you go check the Charms Corridor and the kitchens-" Peter's face brightened considerably. "-But absolutely NO snack breaks! This is…_important_." Sirius chose his words carefully, making sure not to say "serious" again. "I'll check the library and double-back up some of the older, unused corridors…" By "unused corridors," he really meant "secret passageways."

"Okay-we'll need dillusionment charms! And James-do you still have that cloak?" Lily said authoritatively.

"Honestly, woman, it's like you read my mind." James smiled, pulling out his invisibility cloak from within his robes.

"Alright-we'll meet back here in an hour and a half, then?" Sirius tapped his head twice as the others nodded in consent to his question. He felt the peculiar sensation of icy water dripping down his neck and to his toes, and then he was virtually invisible.

He watched James and Lily disappear beneath the cloak, and Peter successfully disillusioned himself on his second or third try.

"We're going to save you, Rem." Sirius whispered under his breath.

It was at this precise time that Severus Snape woke up from his deep sleep. It seemed that not even a perfectly brewed Sleeping Draught could lie to rest the turmoil and ricocheting emotions that tumbled round inside his head. He blinked tiredly as he sat up in his bed. He needed to do something. He needed to get revenge…

He jumped up and paced, casting a silencing charm around himself as he did so. He did not need his roommates to be involved in his personal matters. In the Slytherin House, you united with your fellow Slytherins to reach a common goal. There was no friendship, only cold comradery against common enemies.

Severus realized then that Lily _was,_ indeed an enemy of the Slytherin House. He _could_ recruit his fellow Slytherins against her, without telling them his true motives. All that he needed to tell them was that she was an evil little Gryffindor who needed to be properly disciplined…

Sev laughed with bitterness. Lily Evans would not know what hit her. Her life would be a living hell-jinxes thrown at her from under desks, unfriendly spells and hexes meeting her in the corridors and classrooms, hateful rumors spread about her…

The Slytherins would destroy her spirit, break her heart, tear her emotions to pieces…

The brilliant, full scale plan was all coming together. Snape grinned wickedly in a sort of crazed way. He ran to Lestrange's bed to wake him and tell him about their new Gryffindor target. He wanted to begin planning Lily's downfall right now-as soon as possible!

He parted the curtains and shook the dark boy roughly, his hands shakeing with anticipation.

"Wha-? Wha is it?" Lestrange rolled over, dazed, and looked at Snape questioningly before falling back asleep. Sev put his hands on Lestrange's arm to shake him up again, but felt something painful and sad twist in his chest. He let go of Lestrange and stepped away slowly, feeling the agony and hurt and rejection return. He wanted to hurt her so badly that it made him cry out. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just couldn't. He _loved_ her. Loved her more than anything in his life. More than all of his potions books, Slytherin "friends"-he even loved her more than he loved his own life. He was willing to do anything-_anything_- for Lily Evans.

And that was why it hurt so much.

Sirius Black had entered the library. He had hated the place from the moment he had set eyes on it. It smelled of parchment and fresh print as well as age and knowledge. It was large and filled with an endless supply of books that could keep a person reading for a lifetime. Needless to say, Sirius hated it.

Remus, however, _loved_ the library. He'd spend hour upon hour sitting on a scrubbed wooden table, sometimes falling asleep by candlelight as he read about the latest in potions and charms. Madame Prince seemed to trust Remus more than all of the other students, allowing him to stay later than normal students so long as he returned to the Common Room before curfew.

Sirius looked around the dark and deserted room. It was even scarier in the dark.

"_Lumos."_

The room was brightened a bit, and the bookshelves cast shadows that looked like dementors. Sirius chided himself for being scared of nothing.

"Rem?" He called softly, hoping to be heard by his friend's super-werewolf-ears. "Remus?"

Sirius stepped warily through a few aisles, stopping at Remus' favourite table towards the back. Sirius approached expectantly, waiting to see the Marauder slumped over asleep on a book with a burned-down candle dripping wax onto the floor. But the table was empty.

Sirius sighed in a mixture of frustration and worry. He bit his lip hard and closed his eyes as he plotted out his next move in search of Moony.

He shifted a bit and turned to walk out of the library door, opening his eyes to be blinded by the bright light of old fashioned lantern, just inches from his face.

"Well, well, well… Look who I finally caught out of bed after curfew."

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><p><strong>Ohhh...omonious...what could possibly happen next! Read on! Please REview-short and sweet or long and drawn-out, anything's cool! XD<strong>


	20. Starting Fires

**Hey! I've returned! :) Sorry to all of you readers who have had to wait patiently! Ive got about four or five chapters written right now that need to be posted so just note that I plan on seeing this story through to the end! :D Well, enjoy this chapter-its alittle short but its okayy. Oh, and I have some ideas for the next few chapters afterwards but they are Ooc kind of things and a bit scandolous-so tell me whether you want to read them or not, otherwise I'll keep the story IC. Enjoy! **

**~Fearless**

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><p>Dumbledore must have cast a spell to help him swim. He suddenly sped up so significantly that splashes the size of the giant squid rippled out behind him.<p>

He overtook the grindylow, surprising it. With quick precision, Dumbledore muttered a brilliant spell. Long talons of fire leapt and circled around the water. The glow reflected off the moon-lit lake, dazzling yet terrifying. In the light of the fire, Remus could have sworn that he had seen a mermaid surface to witness the insanity.

The grindylow released the girl for fear that the fiery streaks would burn him. The creature dove back beneath the waves, yelping in fear.

The young Dumbledore quickly grabbed the girl by her robes and made sure to keep her head above the water. He turned onto his back and swam her slowly to safety.

He pulled her to shore and picked her up, bridal style, and carried her up to where Jess was standing. He lowered her down carefully and checked her neck for a heartbeat.

"_Accio_ boats!" Jess Darren cried. Instantly, the twenty boats that took the first years across the Lake each year had come to the sinking students' aids. The eldest of the students scrambled in before pulling and levitating the younger ones to safety.

"She's going to be alright." Dumbledore said after a few moments of examining the victim's nose and mouth. He stood up and got a good look at her for the first time. She was tall and thin, probably just a few inches shorter than Dumbledore himself.

She had long, thin, blond hair curled at the tips. Her lips were a light cherry red and her face had the elegance that usually accompanied someone of a pureblood ancestry.

She wore thin blue robes over a light blue skirt and blouse. She was seemingly perfect. Dumbledore's face seemed to change as he looked at her. Remus thought it looked rather like he had been hit with a bucket of ice water.

His expression went from one of calm to one of perplexion. He seemed to be at a loss for words as he stared at the girl.

"Where are the horses?" Jess asked no one in particular, looking around them. He seemed completely unaware of Dumbledore's undergoing of a seemingly life-changing epiphany.

Remus looked round as well. There were not, in fact, any horses present.

"One of the older students released their harnesses when we hit the water. They do not like to swim so they flew away. But do not worry-they always come back." A small girl with a thick French accent told him as she dried her hair with a quick spell.

I'm going to take her up to the castle hospital wing." Dumbledore announced to no one in particular as he swept up the girl again. "Jess will take you all down once you've sorted things out with the carriages.

He turned to leave as someone tapped his shoulder.

"I will go with you." Dumbledore turned to face a boy who was about his height. The teenager had straight black hair and dull grey eyes. He wore robes identical to the girl's over blue slacks and a black button down shirt. "She's my…best friend…." The boy sounded like he wished she was something more.

"Alright." Dumbledore said, clearly noticing the way the boy felt about the girl in his arms.

They began to walk towards the castle, Selene and Remus trailing behind once again.

"My name is Prosper, by the way. Prosper Prince." The boy told Dumbledore as they walked towards the great oak doors of the castle. He was extremely handsome, but not quite as good looking as the teenage Dumbledore. Or at least, that was what Selene thought.

"Good to meet you. I'm Bryant. Your English is impressive."

"Thanks. My mum actually went to Hogwarts herself…she moved to France to be with my father. He studies potions and such and runs a family-owned apothecary. The shop has been in the family for generations. So naturally, he could not leave." Prosper shrugged.

"Understandable." Dumbledore nodded. He came to the doors and Prosper pushed them open, revealing the Great Hall's entrance.

"Quite a beautiful castle. What year are you in Bryant?" Prosper asked.

"Sixth. And you?"

"My seventh. But we start our schooling a year earlier than you do, so we're the same age."

The scene changed all of a sudden. It seemed as if smoke were eating Dumbledore and Prosper up along with the Great Hall and the unconscious girl. Selene grabbed Remus' hand and closed her eyes.

As suddenly as the scene had disappeared, another had formed in its place.

"It's alright now….we're in the hospital wing."

Prosper and Dumbledore stood on either side of the thin little medi-witch who was checking the girl's vitals. It seemed that Dumbledore had worked his brain-washing magic on the witch, because she spoke to him as if she had known him for many years.

"That's my Bryant…so brave…so brave…" The witch crooned, spilling some potion down the pretty girl's throat. "Good thing you were there to swim after her."

"Yes." Prosper agreed. "Good thing." He smiled down at the girl.

"With this potion she should come to in a moment or so. You can bring her down to the feast if she feels up to it…otherwise tell her I'll be back afterwards. I have to go check to make sure there were no other injuries or cases of hypothermia among the other students." The witch hurried to fix her hair before bustling up to the Great Hall.

"So what courses do you take?" Prosper asked Dumbledore, trying to diffuse the tension. And so on. The two discussed the pros and cons of transfiguring a porcupine into a pincushion (Prosper wanted to know what the porcupine would look like if you removed all of the cushion's pins before turning it back) and of other such classroom things.

Suddenly, a loud yawn diverted their attention back to the girl lying on the bed. She sat up and stretched, yawning again loudly.

"Sommes-nous arrivés chez Hogwarts encore?" _**("Have we arrived at Hogwarts yet?")**_ She asked. Her eyes remained closed as she stretched.

Neither Remus nor Selene spoke French. But Dumbledore knew a bit, apparently.

"En fait, vous êtes arrivé avec tout à fait une éclaboussure." _**("Actually, you arrived with quite a splash.") **_Dumbledore told her, smiling.

The girl gasped and turned her face towards Dumbledore, her eyes remaining closed all the while. "You're accent is a bit English…are you a Hogwarts student? And what do you mean by splash!" Like Prosper, her English was quite good.

Dumbledore and Prosper quickly explained what had happened, but the girl did not seem to remember any of it.

"So then we brought you up to our hospital wing…I'm Bryant, by the way." Dumbledore finished off.

"Pleasure to meet you…my name is Vesperia." For the first time, the girl opened her eyes. They were colorless and unseeing.

"_She's blind."_ Selene gasped.

"_Well, well, well… Look who I finally caught out of bed after curfew."_ The scratchy voice of Argus Filch rang and reverberated off the cavernous library walls. He stretched out his lantern to see that the tall silhouette was none other than Sirius Black.

By now, Sirius' dillusionment charm had all but worn off. Filch could see him as clear as day in the lantern light.

For a moment, the two just stared at one another. Sirius looked like a hippogriff about to be hit by a train. Filch looked like a devious Slytherin serpent. He was about to strike.

Sirius made a run for it.

"Sorry, mate!" He hit Filch's lantern, sending it crashing to the floor. The instant the old glass lantern hit the ground, it shattered. The tiny flame of the device took to the carpet, and was soon licking at the books on the nearest shelf.

"Damn!" Sirius muttered as he flew around the corner and out of the library. He hoped that Filch knew _aguamenti._ For some reason, he doubted it.

_God had better give me a nice flat in Heaven._ Sirius thought bitterly, turning back around into the library. Filch was at the center of a circle of flames, and several volumes of books were smoldering. The nasty caretaker's eyes were wide and fearful.

"_Aguamenti!_" Sirius cried, shooting a jet of pure water at the flames surrounding Filch. He then focused on putting out a nearby bookshelf. As he dried the sopping shelves off with a spell, he felt a shaking hand grasp the back collar of his robes.

"Well wasn't that a fun little _prank_?" Filch was trying to keep his voice at a tone of upbeat sarcasm, but was failing miserably. He was still visibly quaking.

"Hmmm…looks like I'll have to go to your head of house…I'd punish you myself but _Dumbledore-"_ Filch sneered the name "-Likes the disciplinary matters to rest in the hands of 'authority figures.'" Sirius distinctly heard the man mutter the words "_stupid git!'_ under his breath.

Sirius actually sighed with relief. He remembered hearing some particularly horrible stories of past punishments that Filch had inflicted. Whatever McGonagall would have in store for him would be far better than anything that Argus Filch had to offer.

Five minutes later, Filch had pulled Sirius by the back of his robes down three floors to the tall oak doors that led to McGonagall's private study. This had been a somewhat awkward journey-seeing as Sirius was at least a foot and a half taller than Filch.

The doors were large and simple, save for the ornate golden lion-head door knocker. Filch let the piece of metal fall three times. After it hit the wood for the third time, the tiny lion head roared to life. It began forming words and syllables with its metal mouth.

"_State your name and business." _The lion said regally. Its tiny metallic mane glittered.

"Argus Filch-caretaker! There's a Gryffindor student out of bed!" Filch rasped, "And probably that Potter boy too! You must wake your master immediately!" Filch was glowing with an excitement that he only got from punishing students.

The lion was silent for a long moment, before saying, "_The Professor is away on Hogwarts business until further notice. She asks that you direct any problems to the Headmaster. She wishes you a pleasant evening." _The lion was then silent.

Filch began to tremble with rage. Sirius feared that the man would either punch him or tear apart his robes collar (Filch was still holding him by his robes). He liked the first option better. Chicks found bruises and stuff like that hot. Besides, he liked his robes a lot.

"_Dumbledore!_ She wants me to go to _Dumbledore!_ Fat lot of good _he'll_ do! He'll probably just let you sit cozy by his fire and sip hot chocolate…well _I _won't let this rule breaking go on any longer! I'm going _straight _to the ministry if Dumbledore refuses to do anything _this_ time!" And the dragging down the stairs resumed.

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><p><strong>Will Sirius escape Filch's clutches! Will Selene and Remus decipher the meaning behind Dumbledore's spiraling memory! Tune in next time to learn the answers to these questions and more! <strong>

**Please review or you can give a writeing prompt and I'll throw it in the next chapter! 3**


	21. Another Note from Snape

**Hello everyone! I'm soooo sooooo sorry that I have neglected to write/update in a while! The story is nearing its end, so enjoy it! I do not own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Roeling's characters/places (If I did I'd be in Europe or Hawaii right now :) Enjoy!:)**

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><p>"It's locked." James tried for the second time to pries open one of the large doors of the Hospital Wing, only to stumble backwards as the door remained closed.<p>

"It's a wonder you ever got into Hogwarts." Lily said, waving her wand and unlocking the doors with a simple flick.

"And that's why I love you…" James said softly, so that Lily couldn't hear. He followed her under the cloak as she sealed the door behind them. They slowly stepped down the row of hospital beds, peering behind curtains to look for Remus.

All they found was a first year Hufflepuff with a bad case of the measles and a sixth year Ravenclaw in a potion-induced coma. Both were fast asleep, as was Madame Pomfry in her office.

"I guess we'll be off to the Transfiguration wing, then?" Lily asked as they shut the door quietly behind them and re-locked it.

"I suppose…" James doubted that Remus would have gone to the Transfiguration section of the school-it was one of the subjects he did not like. Remus didn't _hate_ anything, but his least favorite subjects were Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. He disliked the first because he lacked the natural ability to transform objects from one thing into another. So, he had to study extra hard to stay ahead of the class.

He disliked the latter due to the fact that the teacher was rubbish and had negative opinions about Werewolves. The teacher was from the ministry. Therefore-he had not been told about Remus's predicament for fear that it would get Moony in trouble with the law. And so, the professor remained ignorant of Remus's "fury little problem." During classes, Remus usually bit his lip very hard and stared at the wall. It was all Remus could do not to argue against the old man's views and angry statements.

As they rounded the corner, James heard loud footsteps coming from nearby.

Hastily, he looked around for a hiding spot._ "someone's coming!"_

"_Well duh!"_ Lily whispered back, "_I have ears too, you know!_"

"_Well what if you had had a mysterious ear disease that only presents itself in intense life-or-death situations! How would I know!" _He was smiling as he dashed to a portrait of a blue eagle with a lions tail, and tapped it twice with his wand. Instantly, the portrait sprang open to reveal a small broom-closet-like space. He climbed into it and pulled Lily in after him. The space was so small that Lily was forced to sit on James' lap.

The portrait swung closed. The footsteps got louder. James' heart beat faster and faster, hoping that they wouldn't be caught. It was the kind of rush he got before pulling a really great prank.

In his rush of terror mixed with excitement, he turned his face towards Lily's.

"Wanna snog?" He looked into her bright green eyes hopefully.

She scowled. "I thought Black said we had to stick to our mission," She snapped sarcastically.

"Since when do_ you_ listen to _Sirius Black!_" James made a face of mock-horror.

"Since what he had to say became a bit important. I like Remus; he's really sweet and studious. We've studied and done homework together and things like that-I can't let anything happen to him!" She shifted a bit to look through the hole in the painting.

"Merlin! You're going to leave me for Moony, aren't you!" James pretended to look scandalized. Lily shot him a look of amusement.

"Well, is _Sirius_ here right now?" James leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder. He had been waiting years to confess his love to Lily, and he wanted to take advantage of every moment that he had with her. Also, he didn't like to be rejected.

"Well…no." Lily kept looking out into the corridor, trying to identify the two darkish shapes that were walking towards them.

"Then he'll never have to know, will he?" And with that, James caught Lily's chin and pressed his lips to hers for the seemingly hundredth time that night, and the fireworks started all over again. But the footsteps got closer and closer.

They broke apart to look through into the corridor, where Filch was ceremoniously dragging Sirius down the flight by the back of his robes. James winced as he watched his best friend stumble and catch himself as he skipped a few of the stairs.

"He's got Sirius! What's going _on _around this place tonight! Sirius doesn't usually get caught! And Filch usually hits the sack at 2 a.m. ! That's why we set up most of our pranks at 4 or 5 in the morning!"

"Rescue mission time?" Lily looked into James' eyes. He tried to pretend that the blazing fire in her bright green eyes wasn't making his stomach squirm.

"We save Sirius, and then we save Moony." James waited until Filch had dragged Sirius down to the end of the corridor before swinging the painting open again. He threw the invisibility cloak over Lily and himself, and they vanished into the night.

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><p>As it turns out, following Filch was not that hard. He tended to swear a lot.<p>

Sirius looked like he wanted to laugh a bit at at Filch's anger, but quickly stifled any feelings of amusement when he remembered that he was going to Dumbledore's office.

Sirius had been to the office many a time. He had enjoyed both praise and punishment at the hands of Albus Dumbledore for the Marauder's pranks. Dumbledore had never yelled or threatened him. But, when he did do something particularly wicked, the headmaster gave Sirius a piercing look of deep disappointment. It made Sirius uncomfortable and ashamed; two things that he did not want to feel after pulling off a flawless prank.

At this particular point in time, there was no prank being pulled. He wondered if Dumbledore would believe him if Sirius simply stated that he was "looking for Remus."

Finally, Filch had reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Honey-drizzled chocolate fairy dust with a dash of Romanian cinnamon." Filch said sourly to the entrance. Sirius stifled a laugh. Filch jerked the collar of his robes in response.

"You may enter." Sirius and Filch entered into Dumbledore's office, with Lily and James close behind. Dumbledore was already waiting in the doorway.

"Ah, come in, please." He beamed. Filch glowered. Sirius stifled a laugh.

"So many visitors tonight! You'd think the whole castle couldn't sleep! So, what brings you hear on this lovely," he checked his watch, "morning."

"This here lout has been traversing the corridors all night! I caught him sneaking in the library! He was no doubt looking up restricted spells to use on the other houses!" Filch fumed.

Sirius detached himself from the man's firm grip and slumped into his usual chair across from Dumbledore's desk.

"Thank you, Argus. I will take care of matters from here. You may go." Dumbledore sat back down, allowing a red-faced Filch to show himself out.

It was strange, thought Sirius, that Dumbledore was up so early in the morning. Sirius wondered who else had visited Dumbledore that evening.

Once the door had closed and Filch's footsteps receded, Dumbledore turned to face a corner of the room. "You two can come out now, Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans."

Sirius gasped and stared at the corner where his best mate suddenly materialized out of thin air, throwing the cloak off of himself and Evans.

"But how did you see-!" James began.

"Intuition." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Also, you stumbled on the way in, and I could hear the floorboards creaking."

James looked up in awe.

"By now I know that where on Marauder is, another is likely to follow."

"So, what, may I ask, is the purpose for such a late-night wandering?" Dumbledore folded his hands smartly on his desk as James and Lily sat down beside Sirius.

"Well…" Sirius figured he'd try his luck at telling the truth for once.

"We couldn't find Remus…and we were worried about him…"

"Oh?" Dumbledore's eyes sparkled knowingly.

"He's been gone since before dinner," James added in, "He was in a state! He was really angry and we left him alone to cool off some…and he just…just disappeared." James shrugged, trying to show his bafflement.

"Remus never stays out past curfew-unless he's in the library…which is why I was in there when Filch caught me-" Sirius was on a roll, tonight. The Truth just kept trickling from his mouth as if he had never lied to Dumbledore before.

"Ah…I see. I'll take a point from Gryffindor to make Mr. Filch happy, I suppose. It _was_ wrong of you all to be out and about at such a late hour. But why, may I ask, was Mr. Lupin so angry?"

James and Sirius shared a glanced and then looked at Lily. They knew that she suspected the truth about Remus's lycanthropy, but they did not want to reveal anything without Moony's permission first. Sirius decided to only give half of the truth this time.

"Girls." He said evenly, as if it were obvious.

"Hmm..." Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Well, I'm sorry to say that you have been searching all night for someone who has been here all along."

"_WHAT!_" Sirius and James stood and spoke as one. Lily remained seated, but had the same startled expression dashed across her delicate features.

"Yes. Mr. Lupin and his friend have been here for quite some time." Dumbledore motioned for the two Marauders to sit back down.

"Where is he?" Sirius asked as James said "What friend?"

"Well, you see we had a bit of a discussion. Mr. Lupin and a Ravenclaw in your year are currently reliving the past through my Pensive."

"Ravenclaw…you mean Fennimore from our transfiguration class? Or Markus? I know that Remus gets along with both of them…" Lily tried to think of other Ravenclaw boys that Remus talked to on a regular basis.

"No, it was Selene." Dumbledore continued to smile pleasantly, as if he had not just disrupted the lives of the Marauders at all.

James' mind processed this, and after a second or two he remembered the girl who Dumbledore was speaking about. The pretty blonde who was always staring out into space with her huge aqua eyes…

Sirius registered this fact as well.

"Wait…they're together?" Sirius' voice sounded a bit pinched and was an octave higher than usual.

"_Our_ Moony…with an _actual_ real _girl?"_ James breathed in disbelief.

"Well, she certainly was not imaginary." Dumbledore chuckled softly.

"Yeah but…" Sirius shook the hair from his eyes. "…He was freaking out before because…" Sirius trailed off.

"Why are they in your pensive, anyway? If you don't mind my asking, professor," Lily broke in matter-of-factly, as if Remus' love life were no more important than the weather.

"Ah…time and memories often satiate the curious mind. I was simply trying to explain a few things about the past to them." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he smiled.

Suddenly, there was a rap on the door. Without waiting for someone to answer, the caller threw open the large antique wooden door and burst through. It was Slughorn, and he was panting heavily.

Two things in this situation struck Sirius as strange. **One**: Slughorn was up in the middle of the night-er-morning. **Two**: Slughorn looked as though he'd run from somewhere. After all his years spent as the potion master's student, Sirius knew that Horace Slughorn was not the type of person who _ran_ anywhere.

The huge professor gripped the door frame for support, taking great, heaving breaths.

"Albus…" he managed to breathe out.

"Yes, Horace?" Professor Dumbledore stood up sharply, all traces of amusement wiped clean off his face. He looked like a different man. Stern, serious, and ready for action. He was frowning through his beard.

"Albus…" Slughorn finally caught his breath. "…I just found young Mr. Snape wandering the corridor…He looked crazed! Something's troubling the boy…something dark…possibly something from the Dark Lord himself…" Slughornt ook another deep breath. He glanced around the room and spotted the two Maruaders and Lily Evans. REalizeing that he had said too musch in front of the students, he motioned for Dumbledore to come out into the foyer.

"Explain more fully." Dumbledore ignored the professor's indication that they talk somewhere else. Dumbledore grabbed his wand and straightened his hat, his face now filled with a grave concern.

"Well…" Slughorn began uncertainly, glancing at the group of staring teenagers. "I was going out to grab a spare Gurdy Root from Madame Pomfry-resourceful in potions, that witch is. As I walked past my House's Common Room, I came across Severus. He was in such a state! He walked out of the Common Room clutching something that looked suspiciously like-and turned out to be-a knife." This fact was interesting to all of the listeners. All students had knives-for potions and herbology-in their possession. However, what nefarious purpose would a student use a knife for at _night_!

"I had walked up to ask him where he was going, but I had surprised him. He jumped as high as the ceiling when I called to him. He turned around, attempted to throw a dark curse, but I blocked him. I sent a full body bind his way and came straight here. I didn't feel up to sending a patronous, I was too shocked. This felt like more of an in-person kind of thing." The rotund professor pushed his tiny spectacles up on the bridge of his nose.

"Did the boy have anything else on him? A token of the Death Eater's perhaps? Something welcomeing him into their midst?" Dumbledore seemed to have seen several other cases of Death Eaters recruiting in schools.

"Well…" Said Slughorn, uneasily, "There is _one_ other thing. He had it clutched in one of his hands…" Slughorn reached into his robes' pocket and extracted a simple parchment envelope.

There's a spell protecting it so that only the recipient can open it. I've studied this type of magic before. It is not unlike the magic of golden snitches-only one person can open it." He handed the parchment over to Dumbledore, who stared down at it austerely.

Without pausing for breath, he began to chant several strange sounding spells as he waved his wand over the parchment. He kept this up for five whole minutes, each person holding his or her breath for what felt like a century.

Finally, a scrolling script appeared across the front:

_Lily Evans_


	22. Where We Stand

**SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! This is a really short chap. but I've got loads more on the way! I had to take a short writing break for the past few months...you know, the real world was butting in again...anyways...**

**I hope you've been enjoying and haven't given up on Spiraling Love! Major plot twist coming up...you have been warned! Enjoy!**

**Please Comment! :D The more comments, the faster I upload! (is that bribery! haha just kidding :) )**

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><p>James's gaze snapped from the letter onto Lily. In a moment, everyone in the room was stareing at the red-haired witch.<p>

"It's addressed to you, Miss Evans." Dumbledore held the parchment out to Lily seriously. "Only you can open this. The only thing I could do was reveal the addressee and scan for dark magic. IT is completely safe, but it is addressed to _you._"

Lily took the parchment envelope with shaking hands. The instant it touched her fingertips, the envelope sprang open to reveal a long letter written in a clumsy, boyish handwriting.

_Dearest Lily,_

_You are my night, you are my day._

_You're beauty takes my breath away._

_So let me confess my love once more,_

_For I be cupid's fool so poor._

_Thou struck my heart, and if my love is unrequited,_

_I shall take mine heart, and shall perish for having admitted._

_So tarry not with your answer, I shall wait alone,_

_For spiraling love or death to bestow me to my throne._

".GODRIC." Lily snapped her gaze up to Dumbledore. All the others stared at her as she started to freak out.

He loved her. Severus Snape loved her. And she had stood him up. Not only had she stood him up, but she had caused him to reach his breaking point. The words were clear. If she did not love Snape back, something bad would happen. She had gathered at least that much as she had glanced over the letter. That was all that she needed to know.

"OH MY GOD!" She shoved the letter into Dumbledore's hands as they watched.

"I'm going to go talk to him!" She yelled, sprinting out the door.

"No, Miss Evans! Wait!" Dumbledore motioned for her to stay, but she would have nothing of it.

Lily sprinted through corridors, down staircases, around corners. She passed , the Bloody Baron, the Grey Lady…

When, finally, she made it down to the dungeons, she was so out of breath she felt it was likely for her to pass out. But she kept going. She dashed around to the bare expanse of brick wall that lead to the Slytherin Common Room and skidded to a stop.

And there lay Sev, bound and slumped against the wall, captured by the same spell that he had cast upon James earlier. The irony was almost unbearable.

Had he had control of his nervous system, Severus Snape's eyes would have widened perceptively at the sight of Lily Evans in the dank dungeons. She was so beautiful that it was as if the air seemed to shimmer around her. The instant he saw her, he forgave her. He forgave her for standing him up. He forgave her for being a Gryffindor. He forgave her for being a mud blood.

"Sev." Lily finally caught her breath and stood towering over Severus. Her eyes betrayed sympathy and even, dare Severus think it, love? But they held a steely quality as well.

"Sev…I read the letter." Lily said slowly, almost whispering as she looked anywhere but at the slouching Slytherin.

Severus wanted to yell out "I love you! I'm Sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything that I've done wrong! I'm sorry for being a Slytherin! I'm sorry for calling you a mudblood! I'm sorry for being such a git to you all of the time!" But he was frozen, so he could not.

"I…well…Severus," Her voice took on a formal tone, "I'm sorry that I lead you on. It was wrong of me, and I know it. I don't love you Sev. I thought I did, but as it turns out…" She bit her lip, thinking of James. "…We weren't meant to be together. Sev I really do like you-but as a friend. My _best friend_." She ended uncertainly, curling her fingers nervously through her hair.

"I'm sorry." That was all she could say. She looked at him, remembering how the thought of him had given her butterflies earlier. Now, all she felt when she looked at him was their warm bond of friendship. However, she saw-reflected in his eyes-a deep hurt which tore at her heart and rattled her bones.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Her eyes were filling with the starry beginnings of tears.

Severus, still under the influence of the spell, continued to stare at her blankly.

Lily stared at him meaningfully for a few moments more. "I'm sorry, Sev." She whispered.

Feeling as though nothing else could be said, she walked away. She tripped up the stairway, feeling as if she could not be happy without breaking the heart of another.


	23. And I was Enchanted to Meet You

******* Hey guys! So...here's another highly-anticiapted chapter of Spiraling Love (lol)! :) Sorry its been taking so long! I've been so busy advocating and dealing with all the dramas of life as a writer! lol jk **

**So...onto the issue of reviewing...the more reviews I get, the faster I write and post! I read every review I get, and if you want a response, I will always reply to the best of my abilities!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT (AND NEVER WILL) OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF THE HARRY POTTER UNIVERSAL FRANCHISE. If I did own HP, I would be at a warm Italian beach right now :) Okay, "that's all for now folks!" Enjoy!**

**~ :) **

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><p>"Pleasure to meet you…my name is Vesperia." For the first time, the girl opened her eyes. They were colorless and unseeing<p>

"_She's blind."_ Selene gasped.

Dumbledore only gaped for a millisecond before regaining his composure.

"Pleasure to meet you, Vesperia, I am Bryant. You're name is Latin, I believe? Curious. Vesperia is translated to evening star in English_… étoile de soirée_ en français."

"So they _do _teach you something of worth here at Hogwarts." She smiled. "I didn't know languages were part of your curriculum."

Despite her blindness, Dumbledore blushed. "I have studied such things privately. Although the Hogwarts Curriculum is remarkable, I still find it to be a bit flawed. But, then again, every rose has a thorn, does it not?"

Vesperia laughed-a beautiful sound that seemed to resound and bounce back off the high rafters of the Hospital Wing's ceiling. "That is too true my friend…" Vesperia rubbed her eyes as if to emphasize the flaws of perfection.

"We were quite worried about you, Verperia." Prosper cut in, reminding her that he was there.

"Well, I'm perfectly fine now." She jumped off the bed in a no-nonsense-sort-of-way, landing squarely on her feet. Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. A young Bauxbaton boy stepped into the room warily.

"_Prospèrent, les professeurs ont demandé vous de la manière principale d'Enterance. Ils souhaitent parler avec tous les garçons principaux dans les reguards aux règles et ils veulent vous interroger au sujet du carriage' accident de s dans le lac."_ He said in a small voice, pulling on the sleeve of Prosper's powder blue robe as he did so.

"Bien, Fabio." Prosper said to the boy softly. "_Je vous verrai tous les deux plus tard au régal._ I'll see you both at the feast-the teachers wish to speak to me about what happened earlier at the Lake." Prosper looked nervous at the thought as he got up and began to walk to the door. "You're alright to go to the feast, Vesperia?"

"Oui, naturellement." She nodded, her eyes staring blankly in Prosper's general direction.

He smiled a bit before following the little boy to the Great Hall.

The scene changed once again; smoke billowing around Remus and Selene.

Suddenly, they were in the third floor corridor about to go down a flight of stairs which lead to the Great Hall.

"…And that's how I accidently jinxed the Transfiguration professor blue in my first year." Vesperia was saying fondly. Dumbledore laughed a lot in response. His face was lit up and his blue eyes were brighter than ever.

"I know you're curious." She interrupted his laughter with a sudden, serious tone.

"Wha-What?" Albus caught his breath slowly. "What is it that I'm curious about?"

"My eyes." She stated simply, running her fingers along the wall as she spoke.

"What! N-No-I just-"

"It's fine…" She smiled, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I was not born this way. It was an accident…when I was born…" She trailed off. "What color do you think that my eyes should be?"

Dumbledore was a bit taken a back. "W-what c-c-olor?"

"Yes. Well? What color are yours?"

"Blue."

"That's a nice color." Hey walked to the staircase in silence.

"Umm…we're going down some stairs now…" Dumbledore said to no one in particular.

"How many?" Vesperia asked.

"Thirty nine and a half."

"Umm…can I…er…?" Vesperia took his hand questioningly, unable to walk down the staircase without guidance. He helped her down the flight, and their talk resumed.

"So…you have aqua eyes?" Vesperia said with a grin.

"I suppose that's one way of describing them."

"Well…come on, then. What color do you think that _my_ eyes should be?" She had not let go of his hand yet. He came to a stop to look at her sightless eyes more closely. Blind as they were, they could still convey emotion and excitement.

"Hmm…" The young Dumbledore cupped his hand under her chin so that he could see her face better. "Hazel, I think."

"Hazel…"Vesperia rolled the word over her tongue. "Hazel…yes, that does sound lovely."

Dumbledore let her go, but she still clung to his hand. "I can't remember what color they used to be…" She said numbly.

"What do you mean? How did you suddenly become blinded? Did someone hurt you?" The words tumbled from Dumbledore's mouth before he could stop them.

"Maybe another day..." Vesperia said, clearly not wanting to pursue the conversation.

Once again, black smoke wove into the air and obscured Selene and Remus's view of the strolling couple.

When the next scene had materialized, it was clear that they were in the Great Hall. The Hall was identical to the one the Remus and Selene had left behind, the only difference being the blue Buaxbaton and Black Durmstrang banners that had been added to the four, crested, Hogwarts ones.

Everywhere students were eating, drinking, and laughing with their new classmates. Different languages could be heard around the hall.

"Remus! This way!" Selene pulled Remus down towards the Gryffindor table where Dumbledore and Vesperia were seated. Remus blushed a bit at the way she held his hand. Her fingers were soft and warm. They fit perfectly in his own scarred fingers.

Vesperia was laughing at something silly that Dumbledore had apparently said. "Say it again, Bryant!" She giggled happily.

"_Bon_jour!" Dumbledore said with an absurd flourish, his accent absolutely deplorable. "And _that_ is how _not_ to speak French!" He smiled charismatically as Vesperia said, "But you English…you say "hullo," correct?" She purposely over-emphasized the word, laughing at her own bad pronunciation.

"Bryant…I really do like you." She said, moving her hand to somehow cover his own. Dumbledore looked down at their intertwined hands with an expression of both surprise and, for lack of a better word, _joy._

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><p><strong>Ohhhh...I wonder what happens next! <strong>

**Lol jk _I know_ what's going to happen. Everyone else will just have to wait until the next update (lol)! But just remember...**So the more reviews I get, the faster I write and post! I read every review I get, and if you want a response, I will always reply to the best of my abilities! :) 3 Hope you like Spiraling Love So Far! ****


	24. James and Lily Sittin' in a Tree

**This has been a very good weekend for me! I was able to turn out 2 _whole_ chapters! Thank you so much for the overwhelming support that this story has recieved so far! **

**Well, please enjoy! And if you can review, please do! (haha that rhymed! _I'm a poet and I didn't know it!)_ I don't care if you review is one word or 1,000! So sit back, relaxed, and get pulled back into the Spiral!_ (Geez, that sounded corny!)_**

**_Oh...and I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER...I think this is obvious but I felt the need to tell the world just in case... :)_**

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><p>Dumbledore and Slughorn ran after Lily (Slughorn was doing more of a trudge at this point). Sirius waited until he heard their footsteps recede before turning back to James.<p>

James was halfway out of his seat-staring uncertainly at the doorway.

"Should I go with them, Pads?" He asked, unsure. He ruffled his hair a bit with his fingertips.

"Not sure…this kind of seems like something the girl has to work out herself, don't you think?" Sirius looked to the doorway with apprehension, and then back at the pensive on Dumbledore's desk.

"I-I suppose. It's just…_Snivellus_! What if he…he…!" But James was apparently at a loss for what a stunned Snape could possibly do to Lily. "…_looks_ at her funny?"

Sirius stared at James's pseudo-serious expression. They both burst out laughing.

"I think you'll be fine, mate." Sirius smiled and patted James on the shoulder clumsily as the latter sat back down.

"Yeah…I just hate that _Snivellus._"

"I know, me too. All the teachers tell us to be nice to him….but why should we be! It's not like he's ever going to do anything _nice_ for either of us or for Lily or anyone, right?"

"Preach to the choir, Sirius." James reclined in his chair and looked at Sirius. "I wonder what that note said, though?"

"Who cares? Lily'll tell you later-if she's as in _looooooovvvvvvvveeee_ with you as you claim." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows in suggestive manner.

"Oh shut up!" James laughed and aimed a punch at Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius shifted out of the line of fire. In a high-pitched voice, he began to squeal- "James and Li-ly sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

James's face grew bright red and Sirius laughed heartily.

"First comes _loooooooovvee_, then comes _marriage_! And then comes _ Snivellus _in the baby carriage!" Sirius trilled, his voice cracking horribly as he skipped about the room.

"S-Shut up, mate!" James was grinning despite his obvious opposition to the song.

"Ah-don't be such a killjoy! I know you, Lily, and old Snively will make a lovely family." Sirius winked.

"Right. Of course. And you'll marry Pete's spotty cousin Miliza that we met last summer and you'll have a kid who's identical to our nice, honey-dukes-loving friend."

"Ouch, mate-that was harsh!" Miliza was Peter's second cousin. She closely resembled the stoutest marauder in that she had small, watery eyes and was a bit on the heavy side. She snorted when she laughed, and tended to make conversations awkward. She also had a moustache the size of Buckingham Palace.

"You think Miliza would be good for me! No way-I think that she would be an excellent lady for _you._ Someday-when you can grow a moustache, that is-you and Miliza could be two of a kind!" Sirius snickered as James felt his upper lip in vain.

"Hey-I _can_ grow a moustache now! I have to shave really often! And for your information _my_ moustache is property of one _Lily Evans_!"

"Prove it!"

"Prove what?"

"a.) That you can grow a moustache and b.) That Lily Evans is finally in to you." Sirius said, smirking as James scowled furiously.

Pointing his wand at his face, James muttered a spell under his breath. Sirius laughed in surprise when James's left eyebrow suddenly became twice its usual size.

"That's a fine moustache you have there, Jamesie."

"Shut. Up."

After several minutes of squabbling, Sirius finally helped James to shrink his eyebrow back to its normal size.

"Well…I can prove that Lily loves me at least."

"_Love! _In just _one_ night-you think that she actually _loves_ you!"

"Yup." James put his hands behind his head and casually leaned back in his chair.

"_How!"_ Sirius said, incredulous.

"Magic."

"Seriously? _Magic_? You gave her a dose of love potion-didn't you! You little bugger James!" Sirius's jaw had dropped, revealing pearly white pureblood teeth.

"No-I didn't! I swear on my honor as a Marauder!" James raised his hands in the air, physically batting the disgusting idea away. "I meant it in a _metaphorical sense_!" He said, as if that explained _everything._

"Do you even know what a metaphor is?"

"Well…not quite. Remus told me once, I think. Didn't seem like a necessary topic to understand up until now."

"I suppose…so wait-did you _actually_ give her the ring?"

"Padfoot…It's like you don't even know me at all." James shook his head in mock-disbelief.

"So you forgot to give it to her, didn't you?" Sirius smirked at his friend.

"**NO!** I gave it to her alright-got down on my knee and everything…" James elaborated with his hands.

"You idiot! You weren't proposing to her and asking her to get _married!_" Sirius looked horrified. "You…you _**idiot!**_"

"No-No!" James backtracked quickly. "When I said that I got down on one knee…well…I was…I _just_ asked her to be my girlfriend! _Really_ , Padfoot!" James's face was red and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. But after a moment of silence, he whispered in wonder, "and she said that she _loved_ me. Actually _loved me!_" James stood and spun around in a dream like state.

Sirius stared at his friend with a look of envy. James did not seem to notice. Too caught up in his reverie, he sat back down. His eyes were large and starry behind his gawky glasses.

"_She loves me…" _He whispered once more, still not used to the sound of the words.

Sirius looked away from his friend and focused on a spot on the wall.

"James…I need to tell you something."

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><p><strong>There's a <em><span>Confession<span> _coming up...**

**It's going to be intense!**

**Hope you enjoyed! And _please_ REVIEW! Thanks so much!**


	25. Pain

Severus had prepared himself for pain.

He knew that if she refused him, the hurt would be unbearable. No-it would be _uncontrollable_.

But no amount of mental conditioning could have ever prepared him for the curdling fire that was now licking at his heart. He felt as though he were burning, yet drowning at the same time.

But of course, he was still and motionless.

He sat like that, waves of agony and emotion washing over him. He could feel nothing; think of nothing…he was alone.

All he could hear were the three words, echoing. They reverberated through his head like a broken Wizard Wireless.

The problem was, the three words were not "I love you."

No, the sentence, "I'm sorry Sev" ran on and on through his mind, hitting him like a physical blow. He could not stand the pain any longer. He longed for escape.

The words "_You are my night, you are my day"_ danced through his head as well. She hated him. She hated hated hated _hated_ him. That was the only explanation. She thought that he was just a useless, obsessive, crazy, filthy, time-consuming…_thing_. He probably wasn't even a person to her! He was just so horrible…so unworthy of her…

Sev was so overwhelmed with emotion that he could actually _feel_ his magic coursing through his veins. He was no longer in control of his powers. It was as if he were ten again. It was as if his feelings and moods could once again cause trees to twist and whither. It was as if he was untrained, raw, exposed…

The wave of emotion crested, reaching its highest point. All at once, Sev felt like sobbing and screaming.

He felt a white-hot ball of magic building up in his chest and expand until he could not contain it any longer. Within moments, he was free of the enchantment that had bound him. He cried aloud, longing for a release from the pain.

He felt along the side of his robes for the Felix Felicis, craving the warm feeling the lucky potion could provide. He briefly considered the fact that to take another gulp of the stuff within a twenty four hour period would be overdosing, but he _needed_ it.

Finally, his hands brushed against something cold and smooth in the depths of his pocket.

Without looking, he whipped out the tiny glass vial and sucked down the contents. After a few seconds of waiting for the warm feeling that would never come, Severus slumped over-unconscious.


	26. Confessions

**So...I promised you something unexpected...so hope this is sufficient :) I DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS. If i did I would be really awesome and would have a Hippogriff. But until then...SPIRALING LOVE.**

**Please Review if you like/dislike the direction the story's going in~Tell me .THOUGHT you have about this! :D Enjoy. ~Stargazer**

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><p>"James…I need to tell you something."<p>

At the serious tone of Sirius's voice, James dropped back into his seat, looking perplexed.

"What's up?"

"Well…er…"

"Oh Merlin no-this isn't another confession about how you used my favourite Quidditch socks for gagging Slytherins again? 'Cause to be honest I don't think that I can take any more Prongs sock abuse Padfoot…!"

"No..this is serious…"

"Haha…Sirius…" James's face brightened again at the over-played joke.

"No…really…"The expression on Sirius's face shut James up.

Sirius leaned forward and clasped his hands. He avoided James's gaze and stared at a sixteenth century painting of a butterfly on the right wall.

"Alright…sorry…what's wrong?" James looked sincerely into his best friend's eyes. "Did you prank McGonagall again? Because I specifically remember telling you _not_ to dip her hat in a vat of old Sluggy's opera singing potion…"

"No it wasn't that." The corner of Sirius's mouth quirked as he remembered the plans that he had made the previous week. They had wanted to force their transfiguration teacher to sing opera music during a particularly nasty exam. He had disguised the plan book as a lantern so that all they had to do to destroy them was to light the candle.

Remus, who liked McGonagall, had been unhappy with this prank. So, Sirius had hid the plans away to be used on another teacher someday soon.

"Just imagine…McGonagall singing arias as she gives us homework! Or as she transformed into a cat! I wonder if the potion would still work in her animagus form…hey! We should test it out ourselves!" James grinned brightly over at Sirius, who looked back with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Sorry-shutting up now." James mimed locking his mouth with a key.

"Yeah…So no, it has nothing to do with our lovely headmistress." Sirius paused, running his hand through his jet black hair. "It has to do with…Remus."

"Well-spit it out! Did you and Remi do something Marauder-ish that you two neglected to tell me about?" James looked a bit hurt as he said the last part. He was imagining himself being left out as his friends threw stink bombs at the Slytherin ghosts.

"It thought that you were 'shutting up now'…"

"Did you get that in writing?"

"Understood. Well…it _is_ about me and Remus…" Sirius faltered again.

"What about you guys?"

"Well…its just…James, I think I...I think that _I...er…_"

"What! WHAT IS IT SIRIUS SPIT IT OUT!" James was yelling, trying not to burst out laughing.

"_I think I play for the other Quidditch team." _Sirius said in a small voice.

The look of laughter was wiped clean off of James's face. "Come again mate?"

"I think that…no, I'm pretty sure that…I'm in _love_ with _Remus_."


	27. Awareness

**Yes...so I realize that I've been gone for awhile so today you're getting a double...maybe even TRIPLE dossage of Spiral! Also i left it on such a cliffhanger I really don't wnat anyone to get angsty or anything if I don't have time to update in a while. :) So here you go...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me feel fullfilled. (I'm a deep person) ANywayz, enjoy and tell me your thoughts-good, bad, or downright strange! A review is a review :)**

**I DON'T OWN HARRY JAMES POTTER of ANY OF HIS FRIENDS/ENEMIES/RELATIONS/AQUAINTANCES! :) ~ :)**

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><p>"…" James looked fit to pass out.<p>

"Come on man-say something!" Sirius cried out, panicking. He really didn't want to lose his closest friend. He wanted more than anything for James to snap out of his dumbstruck trance and pretend that nothing had ever happened.

Sirius drew his wand. Maybe it would be better if James _didn't_ remember at all. This was crazy. Sirius should have never confessed. He should have just shut up and went along with his pathetic life as the rebellious Hogwarts Heartthrob.

Sirius pointed his wand at James.

"Do you want me to wipe your memory, James? It'd probably be better off for the both of us if…"

"uuhhhhh…" James was still opening and closing his mouth mindlessly.

"Prongs! This is the part where you come in with the whole support and brotherly love thing!" Sirius stowed his wand in his pocket. It looked like James wanted to discuss the matter before making any hasty, "mind-blowing" decisions.

"…uh…does he (gulp) know?"

"No, OF COURSE HE DOESN'T B-BLOODY KNOW! _You're_ the only one who knows _anything._ So you'd better keep it quiet."

"O-of course. Um…for how long…!" James still looked absolutely bewildered. Sirius was doing a tiny dance for joy in his mind, feeling accepted because James was promising to keep his biggest secret.

"Three months and two and a half weeks.

"Wow. Um, I'm really not sure what to say…"

"Yeah…and that's what makes it all worth it."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"You know I'd never turn my back on you. You were worried I would, though, weren't you?" James met Sirius's eyes.

"I dunno…I guess I kinda figured you _would_ accept it. I was just scared, you know? I mean, who _wouldn't _be!"

"So…why is this coming up now?" James said curiously, shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs of shock.

"Because he's…he's with some _girl!_ And I'm hurt and confused…and I-I just want someone to be on…on my side." Sirius turned his head into his hands.

"Aw, Pads, I'm always on your side. Even when you don't tell me stuff. You should've known that!" James smiled alittile. "But this whole 'liking Remus' thing…you've gotta admit it's quite…obscure and unexpected."

"Oh, believe me; I'm completely aware of that fact. I'm still offering to _obliviate_ your mind if you can't take the idea of your best friend liking your _other_ best friend." Sirius smirked as James cringed.

"I should think _not!_ I don't want you anywhere near my brain! You would either accidently give me a concussion or fill my mind with inappropriate Sirius Black-isms!"

"Hey! I'm not _that _mischievous!" Sirius whined unconvincingly.

James raised an eyebrow. "_Right._" He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes in a particularly Lily-like manner.

"I think you're spending too much time with Lily." Sirius glared at James.

"Wha-? Why?" James was still reeling over the whole "Sirius-likes-Remus" thing.

"Because you just rolled your eyes in a particularly Lily-like manner." Sirius pointed out helpfully, smiling.


	28. Discovery

Nearly Headless Nick did not like to wander the dungeons at night. He knew that nothing could hurt him _physically_, but he still felt uncomfortable at the thought of floating through the dank stone corridors alone.

But it was his job as a school ghost to patrol the area at least once before going back to the Gryffindor Tower tonight. And so, Sir Nicholas began his slow and unhappy journey down the corridor.

He had never caught any students out of bed in the dungeons-usually they went up to the kitchens or to the empty classrooms on the upper floors. Most of the students, like Nick, hated to wander the cold Slytherin territory after dark. Who knew what kind of evil lurked beneath the foundations of the school. Nick could just imagine large, disgusting, monstrous things slithering around in the black.

He was almost done with the final leg of his patrol…scanning the ceilings and floor when-

He saw a body.

The boy was small-looking. He was bony and slumped on the floor lifelessly-a black cloak obscuring his face. Clenched in his left hand was a small glass vial containing a few drops of darkish liquid.

"Oh my…" Immediately-Nick sped off to find help.


	29. Life Gets Complicated Sometimes

Dumbledore left swiftly after Lily as she left his office in search of Severus Snape. Slughorn huffed and puffed behind him in exhaustion.

He was halfway down to the dungeons when someone-or, more likely, something-stopped him.

A huge pewter vase came crashing down from the ceiling unexpectedly. Luckily, Albus Dumbledore had better reflexes than an average man his age. He quickly jumped out of the way and aimed a blasting spell at the piece of metalwork, instantly shattering it into a billion tiny fragments.

"Peeves, I know that you are here…show yourself at once!" Dumbledore was slow to anger. However, he had two Marauders unattended in his office, two students wedged deeply in his memories, one Gryffindor prefect running to the dungeons after-hours and a Slytherin stunned and unarmed lying on the floor.

"Make me Dummbly-doorrr!" Peeves cackled in a mocking voice.

"Very well, Peeves…" Dumbledore sighed and waved the Elder Wand quickly. Instantly, Peeves appeared at Slughorn's feet, bound and gagged.

"Really, Peeves, I have no time for your shenanigans tonight. I apologize formally. I'll just have to deal with you later…"

"Mmf mf mm mmmmf!" Peeves said indignantly through the handkerchief that was tied around his mouth.

"Once again, I apologize!" Called Dumbledore as he ran off towards the dungeons.

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><p>Lily walked back in to Dumbledore's office, shaking.<p>

James turned around and the look on his face transformed from perplexed to affectionate.

"Hey, Lils. What's goin' on?" He got up and kissed her forehead.

"N-nothing. I just had to tell Sev something."

The look in James Potter's eyes was unmistakable. They flashed with a strange combination of anger, jealously and hatred at the mention of the Slytherin boy's name.

"Exactly _what_ were you telling him, might I ask?" Sirius got up as well and approached the couple. Lily noticed that Sirius's face had lost a bit of color, and that he lacked his usual springy swagger.

"It's none of _your_ business Sirius, dear." She said sarcastically, moving away from James a bit.

"Keeping secrets from your boyfriend, now aren't we?" Sirius snickered as he grinned wickedly.

"No-I'm just keeping secrets from _you_." Lily said coolly; face heating up despite her confident demeanor. "I'm going to tell _James_ about it later…if he wants to know, that is." She smiled at James, and he felt his heart beat a little bit faster. He had the urge to kiss her, but then remembered that Sirius was still present. He grabbed her hand instead, forgetting all about Severus's conversation with Lily.

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><p>"We'll need to send him to Saint Mungos immediately!" Madame Pomfry stood over the floating stretcher, waving her wand a countless amount of times over the unconscious Slytherin's head.<p>

"Flue the hospital-! Tell them that this is an _emergency_!"

Filch nodded rapidly and staggered off towards the teacher's lounge to use the fireplace.

Madame Pomfry examined the glass vile once more. An aura of dark magic swirled around it ominously.

"Oh dear…oh dear…" She cast another spell over Severus, hoping to rejuvenate him. He stayed still as stone on the stretcher.

"Madame…I have been instructed to inform you that a Healer will arrive momentarily to examine ." Nearly Headless Nick looked down at Severus gravely. "She says that if the potion was what you think it was…there is not much time..."

"Yes…yes, I know." Madame Pomfy wrung her hands apprehensively and tried another spell to wake Snape from his state of stasis. "I don't think that he ever had much time to begin with…"


	30. Remember Me Remember Me

**Okay, so I'm sorry I haven't been updating as much as usual lately! I'm going to try my best to get chapters out faster! :) Alright, so back to Dumbledore's Memories :D Enjoy! Please R&R! ~! **

**I DO NOT OWN ANY HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS, THEMES, ETC. I just own the plot of this story :)**

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><p>There was something about Selene that left Remus utterly speechless. Usually, Remus knew exactly what to say-but when he was with Selene, all of his thoughts suddenly became mush.<p>

As the Great Hall with Vesperia and Dumbledore swirled before them in a cloud of grey smoke, Remus grabbed Selene's hand.

Suddenly, the smoke cleared. Remus and Selene found themselves in an older corridor at the top of a staircase.

The young "Bryant" and Vesperia were running down the hall, hand in hand, laughing. Bryant jumped onto the banister of the staircase and put Vesperia in front of him. They slid down as if they were the two happiest people on Earth, yelling loudly and running when a school ghost tried to yell at them.

The memory changed again-Dumbledore and Vesperia were in the library, discussing something avidly. Vesperia threw up her arms in exasperation as Dumbledore smiled.

"But that's impossible!" She exclaimed. "You'll never be able to fly to the moon! _No_ one will _ever_ be able to fly to the moon! Not for a million years!"

"Hey, you never know! And it's good to have crazy dreams. If we 'shoot for the moon, we are bound to land among the stars,' right?" He laughed at the look on her face.

"How poetic, Bryant." She said sarcastically. "But mark my words; no wizard will ever walk on the lunar surface."

"Oh come _on_, I'm sure _you _have a crazy dream that you think will never come true. We all have them!"

Vesperia frowned. "Well…there are a _few_ things…but nothing _too_ possible."

"Tell me!" Dumbledore rested his chin on his arms.

"Promise you will not make fun of me?"

"Promise."

"Okay…" Vesperia sighed, unconvinced. "Well…firstly…I…"

"Yes…?" Dumbledore prompted.

"I sometimes dream of being a Chaser….but that's impossible because at Buaxbaton, only boys are allowed to even try-out for the quidditch team…" She frowned. "And…sometimes…I wish that I could walk on water-only once, mind you!-just to know what it feels like…" She covered up her mouth as if she had said too much.

"That's not silly at all." Dumbledore moved one of his hands to cover Vesperia's. She hesitated before adding to her previous sentence.

"I imagine sometimes…that it feels like walking through the sky. You know-have you never wanted to feel the warm waves through your toes as you traipsed across the lake? I know it sounds stupid, but it's just something that I've always wanted to do…And I've looked and looked for a spell to allow me to walk on top of puddles and small ponds, but there are none!"

"Don't worry," Dumbledore intertwined his fingers with hers. "That is a _great_ secret dream. We'll find a way…" He promised quietly. She smiled gratefully.

The smoke swirled in and obscured them. Dumbledore and Vesperia re-appeared, cheering in the stands of the quidditch pitch as three students-the Champions of the Tri-wizard tournament, Remus realized-struggled through an obstacle course of some kind.

Dumbledore put his arm around Vesperia, whispering play-by-plays in her ear so that she knew what was going on the field below. She kissed his cheek, and "Bryant's face turned bright red. The Hogwarts Champion won the competition and Vesperia cheered along with Dumbledore as the scores were read out to the crowd. The smoke clouded Remus and Selene's eyes once again.

Dumbledore and Vesperia were dancing together at the Yule Ball. Vesperia was clad in gorgeous silver and blue spangled dress robes. Dumbledore looked brilliant in his own robes of striking navy. They swirled around and around the dance floor, getting many an envious glance. They were so perfect together-so in sync. Throughout the entire night, the smiles never left their faces once.

When the memory changed, Remus and Selene found themselves outside and knee-deep in snow. Vesperia and Dumbledore-along with half of the Gryffindor House-were charming snowballs in a huge snowball fight. Vesperia laughed as she hit Dumbledore in the forehead.

The memory dissolved.

Suddenly, Remus and Selene were by the lake. It was a dark, starry night in the middle of the winter term. Dumbledore was pulling Vesperia gently by the hand to the shore.

"Take off your shoes." He whispered quietly, removing his own. His light brown hair was wavy and had grown out a bit since the last memory. Dumbledore looked so much happier than the young man Remus had seen in the Department of Mysteries in the first memory. Dumbledore's eyes were a bright, sparkling blue. He had regained the color in his face, and his smile was luminous-never leaving his face.

"We are by the Lake, yes?" Vesperia asked, smiling.

"It was supposed to be a surprise-how did you know?" Dumbledore asked questioningly, his face displaying a bit of shock.

"I have heightened senses, remember?" Vesperia smiled and pointed to her ears. "Since my eyes don't-for lack of a better word-_work, _my hearing had become sharper. I can hear the waves a lot better than you can."

Dumbledore chuckled. "It is really unlike me to forget such an important detail."

"I guess I am just an exception." Vesperia grinned, putting her arms around Dumbledore's neck.

"Yes…you are." The young Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he closed them and leaned in to bring his lips to Verperia's.

"_Awwwww_!" Selene looked at the couple adoringly as they kissed for a few moments. "True love is so beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is." Remus looked on a bit enviously as Dumbledore and Vesperia broke away-each red in the face, yet smiling.

"_I love you Bryant. I love you so much."_ Vesperia whispered, eyes closed as she hugged Dumbledore.

"I love you, too." He looked incredibly guilty about something, though.

Sensing his discomfort, Vesperia changed the subject.

"So why did you bring me down here, exactly?" She smiled and played with his hair.

"Oh-Oh, right! I wanted you to see something-a spell that I mastered." Dumbledore said, flustered. He drew his wand from his sleeve and pointed it towards the lake.

"You do know I'm blind, right?" Vesperia laughed. "You can't really _show_ me anything. I do not really _see_."

"Y-yes, I realize!" Dumbledore laughed, indignant.

"Alright, good."

"Just give me a moment to perform the spell. I need absolute silence." He unwound her hands from around his neck and stepped toward the lake with purpose.

He held out his wand and mouthed some ancient incantation. The whole lake glowed a bright, golden hue.

After a few moments, he stepped away. "Done!" He called out excitedly. "You're going to love this!" He ran towards Vesperia and swept her up, spinning her around and around while they laughed.

"And what exactly did you do, love?" Vesperia giggled.

"I'll show you!" Dumbledore put her down and grabbed her hand. "We're going out onto the lake."

Vesperia's eyes widened and she balked.

"No. No, we can't. It's freezing cold. And I have no swimming costume on me."

Dumbledore smiled widely. "You see, this is where you are wrong. Come here, I'll show you."

"N-no I'd rather not." Vesperia stepped away again.

"Do you trust me?" Dumbledore took both of her hands in his own.

"Y-yes…of course I do." Vesperia's face had become unreadable.

"Here, I'll carry you. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Vesperia allowed Dumbledore to hold her bridal-style.

"Alright, on the count of three." Vesperia held on tightly to Dumbledore as he spoke."Three…two…one…"

Dumbledore took off, sprinting towards the lake. Within seconds, he reached the shore. He continued running from there-but he did not sink into the water.

"I hear splashing…why do I hear splashing!" Vesperia was cringing into the young Dumbledore's chest.

"Because…" Dumbledore paused for dramatic effect. "We are in the lake."

"Don't lie to me, Bryant! That would be impossible!" She gave him a disapproving look.

"No! No! We are literally _standing_ on the lake! Here, I'm going to put you down-feel the water between your toes." Dumbledore set the reluctant Vesperia down.

He was right-she could actually _feel_ the small, warm waves of water as they ran across her toes. But why was she not sinking? From the way her boyfriend had been running, it had seemed as if they had run to the very center of the lake.

"_No…there is _no_ possible way!"_ Vesperia gasped, reaching down to brush against the water's surface with her fingertips.

"How does it feel?" Dumbledore was beaming as he put his arms around her.

Vesperia let go of him and took a cautious step forward.

"It…it's like walking on a rainstorm…its beautiful…" Vesperia gasped in awe, taking another forward step.

"How deep is the water here, Bryant!" She said, cautiously.

"Maybe one or two…hundred….feet?" He said instantly, feeling just the tiniest bit guilty for scaring her.

"_Hundred!_ Oh my Lord, Bryant! What did you _do!_" She was laughing now, splashing him with her feet.

"It's a simple spell, really-" But whatever the spell was, Remus would never know. Vesperia had launched herself at Dumbledore and was now kissing him passionately, winding her fingers through his steadily-growing amber hair.

The memory dissolved again and reformed. Before the next memory could fully appear, Remus pecked Selene on the cheek lightly.

She blushed and smiled up at him. Remus was longing for more by the time Dumbledore's memory had fully taken shape, but Selene became instantly distracted and immediately looked elsewhere for the next scene of Dumbledore and Vesperia's spiraling love.

They were in the Forbidden Forest, now. Dumbledore was breathing hard, back pressed to the bark or a large tree. Vesperia was nowhere to be found.

Remus could hear footsteps coming towards them from the opposite direction. Dumbledore drew his wand and waited a look of _fear_ on his face. Remus had seen a lot of different emotions cross Dumbledore's face during his past few years at Hogwarts-but he had never seen true _fear_ take residence on the Headmaster's angular features.

Suddenly, through the tangled shrubs and brambles, a scraped-up looking teen in tattered school robes dashed past Dumbledore. Remus recognized the boy as one of the Champions of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Remus whispered out of the side of his mouth to Selene.

"This must be one of the Tasks in the competition!" Selene exclaimed excitedly. "But what's Dumbledore doing _here_! He's no Champion…"

"Yes, and what does this have to do with Vesperia!" Remus added. Selene shrugged, confused.

A second student burst past them with flurry of trigs and branches.

"I bet _he's_ from Durmstrang-he's quite pale, isn't he?" Selene observed of the young man running past Dumbledore's hiding place. "_Oh my God!"_

"_What_! What's wrong!" Remus put Selene behind him protectively, ready to fend off danger. His wolf-senses were heightened, and he was now on edge.

"_L-look at his _arm!_" _Selene said slowly, covering her eyes.

"_What!" _Remus's eyes moved frantically.

"_LOOK! Look, Remus!" _Selene pointed through the bushes in the direction from which the two students had just run.

Remus looked, feeling a jolt of disgust and terror at what he saw before him.

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><p><strong>CLIFF HANGER! :) Please Review! The more reviews I get, the mroe I'll update ;) <strong>


	31. Hospitals and Impossibilities

**Helloooo der readers! I have missed you all so very much! I apologize for my lack of updates and lateness! Please forgive me! 3 (if you do I'll post extra chapters!) Christmas season is coming up! That means more updates! Yay Spiraling Love! Apparently my mind likes to subconsciously create new plot twists every few months...so ****Be warned******

**I hope you enjoy this latest chapter of my lovely rowing little fic :) I love writing and I'm glad you love reading! Thanks for all the encouragement everyone, you make it all worth it! Love you all!**

**P.S. Please Review***** That'd make my day! :D**

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><p>"<em>Get him into the Poison and Potions Ward, NOW!"<em>

_"Take his pulse first! Take his pulse first-"_

_ "-check for breathing…check for vital signs of life-"_

_ "-should I call for Healer Raymon!? Or how about Healer Sellable!?Didn't he deal with a similar case last Monday-!?"_

Severus Snape arrived at St. Mungo's with quite a bang (not unusual, considering the face that Madame Pomfry had used side-along-apparation to get him there).

Everywhere Healers and Nurses were scrambling-all trying desperately to preserve what little life that Severus had left in him.

His shock of dark hair-blacker than a clear night in Astronomy Class-contrasted awfully against Snape's pale face as well as against the sharp white pillow he lay on.

"_What the hell was he doing!?"_

_ "Was he attempting suicide…or-?"_

_ "He's still breathing! He's still breathing-"_

_ "Get Healer Raymon here right away! We need some potions and charms here quickly!"_

Severus's breaths were shallow and his eyes were now half open-revealing two dark and glassy orbs that were tinted with red.

As the Healers rapidly moved the stretcher into a lift, Albus Dumbledore followed anxiously, refusing to leave the stretcher's side. He looked down at Severus thoughtfully, his expression serious, yet filled with dread. He took note of how Severus's eyes were now taking on a red quality, as well as how pale the boy had gotten. Severus was near death-this Dumbledore knew for sure. Sev was very, very close to dying. It would take some very experienced Healers and a stroke of great luck to save the boy, Dumbledore thought grimly.

There was only one explanation for Severus's condition-Dark Magic.

But had Severus been trying to take his own life? Or had someone poisoned him? And where had that Dark potion come from?

Dumbledore quickly eliminated the idea of someone poisoning Snape. Severus had been in perfect physical health until Lily had gone to speak to him. However, according to Slughorn, he had not been in proper _mental_ health. In this situation, Lily had become one of the suspects. However, Dumbledore immediately ruled that idea out, knowing that the young ginger would never do anything to mortally wound a fellow student and friend.

Could it have truly been an act of suicide that had brought Severus so closed to the edge? Had he really been trying to actually _kill_ himself? Dumbledore theorized that Severus could never do such a thing, but there were few other explanations.

But _where_ had that vial of poisoness fluids come from? Dumbledore had a theory or two about that matter as well. In his brilliant and highly-intelligent mind, Dumbledore saw that all signs pointed to Tom Riddle-aka Lord Voldemort.

"Er…Headmaster?" A pretty young Healer whose nametag said "Sherri" broke through his reverie.

"Yes, Miss?" He asked politely, feeling the stress tugging him downwards.

"I'm going to have to ask you to wait out here well we bring him up into our ICU unit."

"I'm sorry, but I must insist on accompanying you and young Mr. Snape here to his room."

There was little the girl could do to dissuade him.

"Very well." She said, motioning for him to follow her into a near-by lift. The stretcher and Snape were already inside with a smattering of Healers.

Once the large, light green lift began moving upwards, Sherri began to hastily unbutton Sev's shirt to check his breathing. As soon as she undid the fourth button of his once-crisp dress shirt, she let out a shriek and hastily moved away and into the lift's corner.

"Sherri! What the devil-!?" One of the older Healers cried out, looking towards the Sherri in distaste. But Sherri only whimpered from her corner, pointing at Snape's covered body.

Slowly, attentively, the older Healer pulled back Sev's shirt to reveal his bony chest and ribs. She covered her hand with her mouth to repress a gasp of revulsion. She was a Healer, after all, and Healers needed to be quite strong in situations like this.

Dumbledore moved forward swiftly to see what had disturbed the two women.

It was horrifying. Severus's paper-thin skin was blackening-almost like a bruise. It looked like a large blot of ink had been splattered under his skin-and was continuing to spread.

"Can this lift go any faster!?" Dumbledore asked the elder Healers quickly.

"We are moving as fast as we can Headmaster." The Healer was trying to remain calm, but her façade was failing her. Her voice shook a little.

She checked to make sure that Severus's heart was still beating before gently folding the shirt back over Severus's scrawny chest.

"Whatever potion he took was most definitely a poison. We have to make sure that it does not reach his heart." The old Healer looked down pityingly at Severus.

Sherri stood up, re-gaining her wits. "I'm s-sorry, I completely lost my head." She smoothed back her light blond hair and adjusted her robes.

"It's alright, that sight was very un-nerving." Dumbledore comforted her, patting her shoulder.

"Can we safely slow down the movement of his blood through his main arteries? Slow down the poison's movement until we can sufficiently treat him?" Dumbledore turned to the older Healers, drawing his wand.

"Maybe." One stepped forward. She had long, thick brown hair that was pulled back in a plait. "We can put his body in a sort of suspended animation. It's a complicated spell but I'm sure you could perform it, if you'd be up for it."

"Alright." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with gratitude. "Get me this spell and we'll see where we are from there."

The lift stopped and the grills opened. Instantly, the stretcher was moving on its own towards the ICU room, the gaggle of Healers following quickly along with Dumbledore.

"Have you called his parents, yet?" Sherri caught up to Dumbledore, still looking slightly shaken.

"No. Somehow, I feel as if they would not take kindly to seeing him in this current state. His mother would be horrified if she heard that her son may have attempted to hurt himself." Dumbledore wiped off his half-moon spectacles sadly.

"Hopefully, he'll be fine." Sherri tried to be helpful. Dumbledore smiled down at her.

"I don't believe I remember you. You were not a Hogwarts student, were you?" Dumbledore looked down at Sherri, who blushed and looked away.

"No. I'm from Bauxbaton. I'm here on a cultural immersion experience. I've been working for the past few years in a French hospital but then I had the opportunity to come here and…its been really very great." She smiled. "Everyone's so nice here, but we always feel understaffed. And sometimes we can't do enough to help people."

"That's how I feel at the school sometimes…there are just so many students. You want to be able to give each and everyone the care they need to grow…" His twinkling eyes fell upon Sev's broken and flat body. "Obviously I cannot devote time to make each and every child feel appreciated…this young man being an example of my negligence."

"No, no…this is not your fault, sir! From what I have heard of you-you are a great wizard as well as a great man. You would never neglect a student. It is surely his own actions that have lead to his current state. I mean…I myself have made bad decisions that ended in my own misfortune."

Dumbledore looked down at the young witch, who was frowning sadly. Her face was so familiar. Why was her face so familiar?

"I used to be the only female chaser on my Quidditch team back at Bauxbaton…" They were nearing the end of the long corridor, the older Healers gathered around Sev and casting various spells to support his immune system and to keep him stable.

"And one day…one day I got into an accident. Well…it was not an accident, really. I only have myself to blame. And now…" She frowned, pulling up the hem of her robes and her pant leg to reveal a prosthetic leg reminiscent to Mad-Eye Moody's.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright." She looked down unhappily. "I've gotten used to it. It's just very hard to keep my balance on a broom…so…those Quidditch days are over for me."

She looked up and met his eyes. For a few seconds, Dumbledore was actually speechless. He recognized her now. That blonde hair that curled at the ends-the round, heart-shaped face… Everything was the same about her-from her milk-white skin to her slim build. It was her. After all these years. It was Vesperia.

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><p><strong>Wow. Cliff-hanger again! :D Please Review! The more reviews I get, the faster I can update! (it's all about motivation, people! ;) ;) *wink, wink*)<strong>

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW please :)**


	32. Long Lost Love?

**Heyyy Wizarding dudes and dudettes! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooo**

**so sorry that's it's been so long since I've last updated! I promise I shall try to work more often on this story! Please do not loose faith in me-I shall finish Spiraling Love! **

**Please enjoy this short but sweet chapter. :) **

**Stay totally awesome and supermegafoxyawesomehot guys! :)**

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><p>"V-Vesperia?" Dumbledore looked down at the young girl before him-she looked not a day over twenty two. She was as perfect and beautiful as she had been all those years ago…<p>

"What?" The young blond Healer looked up sharply; meeting Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes with her own large grey ones.

And then it hit Dumbledore-she could_ see_ him. Her eyes _worked._ What in the name of Merlin was going on around here?

"I-I'm sorry. You must have me confused with someone else…" The girl looked up at him, confused. "My name is Sherri." She pointed at her name tag.

Now, let us be very clear about one simple fact: Dumbledore was _rarely_ taken by surprise. And he was _rarely _confused. This particular moment in time was an anomaly.

As Dumbledore collected his wits and slowed the beating of his heart back to normal, he peered down at the young Healer again.

"You strikingly resemble someone that I know. You are almost identical to an old acquaintance of mine…I am sorry if I have startled you." Dumbledore's brain was working so fast he could practically feel smoke billowing off of his brain.

"That's quite alright." The young witch-Sherri-looked rather startled now, and pointedly moved away from the elderly Hogwarts Headmaster.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to a woman named Vesperia?" Dumbledore had never felt words tumble off his tongue so quickly. He flinched, hating the feeling of having so little control over his own tongue.

"Maybe..." Sherri screwed up her face in thought. "The name _does_ sound familiar to be honest."

Dumbledore frowned. But before he could question her further, the brown-haired Healer waived them into a room on the left side of the pleasant green corridor.

The room was large and sterile-the walls a cold whitish-blue tint. Shelves and shelves of potions, books and strange-looking silver tools crowded along the walls of the room-dwarfing its occupants. There were now five Healers in all standing about the room, not including Sherri.

And in the middle of it all was Sev.

"_Accio Moste Potiones Complexes Volume 2 and a Half." _ The brown-haired Healer cried out, holding her wand aloft. Instantly, a rather thick volume flew off of one of the shelves and into the witch's hand. She flipped through it rapidly, finally stopping on page 827.

"Here-here!" she cried out, shoving the well-loved book into Dumbledore's aged arms. "Read it out, quickly!"

Most ordinary wizards would not have been able to perform such complicated magic on the spot. But Dumbledore was no ordinary wizard.

He quickly scanned over the page twice, taking note of the wand movements and flourishes that he would have to use while performing the spell. After a few silent, apprehension-filled moments, he shut the book soundly and placed it at his feet.

Rolling back his long sleeves, Dumbledore raised his wand. With a look of deep concentration slashed across his weathered face, the Headmaster raised his wand and, wordlessly, began to perform one of the most complicated spells that Sherri had ever seen.

It was beautiful. It was almost as if Dumbledore was dancing as he cast the spell over Severus's unconscious body. Wordlessly, he completed the enchantment; never breaking eye contact.

As he raised his hands up to issue the final flourish that would complete the spell, a large blue sphere appeared out of thin air and engulfed Severus.

The young Slytherin floated inside the orb, tiny bubbles issuing from his mouth.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and opened them tiredly, lowering his wand as he took in the sight before him.

"Is he…is _that_…_water!?_" Sherri had never seen such magic before. She was not sure whether to be impressed, bewildered, or just down-right scared.

"Yes. He is now in a complete state of suspended animation." Dumbledore explained carefully, noting the way that Sherri's high cheek-bones were just as beautiful as those of Vesperia. "All of his body's natural functions have been crucially slowed down. It is almost as if he is dead and alive at the same time."

Dumbledore stepped forward to prod the bubble. "Until we can diagnose _exactly_ what type of poison young Severus here has ingested…we must leave him in his temporary state of stasis."

" How fast can some of the poison-experts get up here, Nora? The brown-haired Healer turned towards another, her face grave.

"I'm not sure, I'll send a patronus message right away-" One of the older Healers raised her wand, but was cut off by Dumbledore.

"Fortunately, that will not be necessary. I believe that Professor Slughorn will be quite helpful with this particular medical anomaly. We will only need one or two other potions Healers to assist him in concocting an antidote."

"Alright. Would you like to contact him, or would you like us to?" The old Healer asked, eyeing Snape's tiny bubble of life warily.

"I shall go and fetch him." Dumbledore turned on the spot and disapperated, leaving a very confused Sherri to wonder about who Verperia was.


	33. The Park At Spinners End

**Hey guys! So...it's been a while! And I'm sorry for that...I'm just really busy and going thru a bunch of changes! But worry not! For I shall never forget my commitment to this story of love and other things! 3 Please review and give me feedback-I'm a bit rusty when it comes to writing FanFics! :D **

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own the world of Harry Potter or any related stuff********

**Enjoy! **

**Love,**

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><p>Severus Snape had never been quite religious-he had always assumed that there was no such thing as a benevelont greater being, seeing that he had been growing up in a dark little world filled to the brim with hatred and misery. When he had met Lily, he had begun to believe that maybe-just maybe-there was a God. Only a heavenly being could have created such a lovely, heavenly creature as Lily Evans.<p>

But then Lily was taken from Snape. Taken in a blaze of fire and rage.

And now he was alone.

There was no hope of redemption, no glimmer of a future between the two.

He would never be able to win her back-not _now_. She was gone-like a feather in a fireplace. Beauty could not exist if it were charred and stifled. Happiness could not exist within a flurry of anger and fire.

How could there be a God!? How could a being create such a horrible, painful little world…all alone in the middle of a dark universe of celestial nothingness!? How could such a loving and benevolent Father leave his flock out to burn and char?

This is what Severus thought about as he faded out of consciousness.

Thus, Severus Snape had never been religious.

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><p>As Sev was sealed up into a tiny globe of suspended animation, Dumbledore looked on. The old man was quite sure that Severus could no longer think or feel as his body hovered-drifting along the line between life and death.<p>

Dumbledore was wrong.

Because, deep within the soul of Severus Snape, there was a piece of the boy that was very much awake.

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><p>"<em>Wake up, young one….wake up, please…"<em>

The sweetest voice that Severus had ever heard tickled at his ears. It was soft and warm-politely asking him to open his eyes.

He groaned, turning over in his sleep. Was it his mother waking him up early to do chores? Was it some fourth year, seeking help on his potions homework?

But no…the voice was too soft and much too sweet to be either. It was a woman's voice…the voice of an angel, to be exact.

Severus tried to place the sweet sound…the vocal tones sounded so…_familiar._ And yet…foreign. He decided that he should open his eyes soon to find the voice's owner…but not yet…

Not yet…

Sev felt…sort of wonderful. He felt a pleasant warmth flowing through his hair-a breeze! He could hear sweet chirping noises and birdsong drifting through the summer air. He sighed-it felt like paradise. Maybe he should sleep a bit longer…

"_Wake up, Severus…"_

The woman's voice spoke to him again-calm as a lullaby. It was lovely and light as a snowflake. Once again, he pondered about the voice's owner… the words were English-of this, Sev was sure-but there was a slight French accent to it…

_Curious._

He opened his eyes a crack…

A woman's face hovered above him.

She was beautiful…no-beautiful wasn't a good enough word to describe her…she was Heavenly.

She was tall with the most gorgeous, long blonde hair that he had ever seen. It flowed down her back like a river and curled a bit at the ends. Her skin was clear and soft with a goldish hue to it. Her lips were perfectly shaped-bright and pink. Her eyelashes appeared long and full. But her eyes-her eyes were dull and vacant. She was blind.

"_Hello little one…"_ She spoke, stroking one of her perfectly soft hands through his dark hair. He seemed to be laying down on something-a park bench, perhaps?

"…_my name is Vesperia…" _The angel smiled down at him. "_You seem to have lost your way."_

Severus sat up quickly and looked around him-everything was blurry and covered in mist.

"Where are we!?" Severus asked hesitantly.

The angel looked down at him sadly.

"_A place between worlds…a place where time is infinite."_ She sighed. "_You drank poison, Severus. You were filled with so much hopelessness…that you tried to drown out your sorrows with _felix felicis._ But, alas…you accidently drank from the wrong vial."_

"What!?" Sev sat up, suddenly panicked. In one burt of color and light, all of his memories from the last twenty four hours came rushing back to him. Lily, the fire, the kiss, the love, the hate…_everything_. The sheer complexity of his situation was almost unbearable.

"I-I took out the wrong potion?" Sev asked the woman weakly.

She nodded sadly.

"N-n-no…" Severus stuttered. "I had meant to take the _felix felicis…_It was supposed to help…"

"_Severus…even had you taken the _felix felicis, _you would still have harmed yourself greatly. Remember, too much of a good thing can have dire consequences…"_

"Is that why I can't fucking be with Lily Evans!?" Severus sat up suddenly, the warm breeze ruffling his hair. "Is that why I only get small snippets of happiness in my dismal, repugnant life!?"

"_Severus…please…calm yourself, dear…"_ The woman's face looked sorrowful and saddened.

"_NO._ I just wanted to be _happy_. I just wanted to be _happy._" Severus was crying now. "I tried to give love a try…I tried to "open up my heart to love" and all of that other BS, and I just ended up crushed and b-b-burned…and now here I am…smoldering in between life and death…"

"_Severus…Severus, calm…" _Tears were now coming to the woman's eyes. Seeing that she, too was quickly becoming upset, Severus quickly sat down. It was then that he noticed that he was completely naked.

"L-look…I'm sorry…Miss-?"

"_Vesperia_." Her voice was like a tinkling little bell-quiet and reassuring.

"Yes…Miss Vesperia…" He wiped his tears away roughly with his bare forearm instantly wishing that he had the long, absorbent sleeves of his Slytherin House robes…

No sooner had he wished it, clean, silver-and-green robes appeared at his feet. He shrugged them on gratefully and continued to wipe at his tear-stained face with the long black sleeves.

"There…there…I'm sorry that I got so upset…" Severus patted her on the back awkwardly as she cried into her hands.

"_It's alright…Severus…" _She sobbed a bit into her fingers.

"_Vesperia..._are we in…Heaven?" Severus asked suddenly. The consequences of his actions had yet to sink in.

"_No…we are somewhere else…somewhere quite dear to you…"_ She wiped her sightless eyes quickly and regained her composure. "_Severus…can you tell me where we are?"_

Severus looked around. The mist began to clear away and the whiteness of the place began to dissolve. Severus realized that they were no longer in the clouded fog of purgatory-but in a beautiful and bright summerland.

Trees dangled over the two-their branches spreading up into the pretty blue sky as if they were worshipping it. The ground was littered with bright flowers and daisies, and the sunlight glittered off of a small pond to Severus's left.

"I-I know where we are…this-this is the pond near my house! The pond near Spinners End! This is where I used to come with Lily…" Severus's eyes took on a dreamy state. "This is where…where it all began for the two of us."

"_Yes._" Vesperia said, nodding slightly. "_This is where you spent your happiest moments…" _She smiled.

"_Do you feel that sunlight, Severus?"_ She asked suddenly.

"Y-yes." Severus answered, slightly taken aback by the randomness of her question.

"_The sun is what brings life to this tiny forest…the sun is light and warmth. And yet-it is fire. I want you to remember, Severus, that fire can be good. Sometimes, we must undergo destruction in order to become better people. We must be like phoenixes-we must die in the embers in order to be reborn pure and new."_

Severus was silent, mulling over what Vesperia had said.

"You know…in that moment…when I took the poison…I wished that I could die…"

_"I know_." Vesperia nodded, putting her hand on his shoulder. He briefly wondered how she was able to find his shoulder without sight, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"I wanted death. I didn't want to _feel_ anymore. I wanted to end the hurting and the sadness…and the _burning_…"

Vesperia nodded.

"But your words make sense. Maybe…maybe you're right. But what if I'm not a phoenix!? What if I'm meant only to burn-and not to be reborn!?" He didn't know whether the question was for Vesperia or for himself.

"_I guess we will just have to wait and see…"_ Vesperia said, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

Severus had not a clue what she meant by that, but he hoped to the God-that-he-had-never-believed-in that he would be able to rise from his poisones ashes.

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><p><strong>****Review Please****<strong>

**Where is Snape!? Will he survive!? What will become of him...will he rise up from the ashes of his smoldering relationship with Lily-will he emerge anew from the awful experience of drinking poison!? Or will he lay in the charred remains of his former self-allowing the past to destroy his present and future!? All this and more may/may not be answered in the next installment of Spiraling Love! **

**Reviews are much appreciated! :D**

**Have an awesome Turkey Day!**


	34. Failure

**Hey lovely readers! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**Love,**

**Fearless. Stargazer**

*****Disclaimer*** I do not own Harry Potter or any related stuff. But you already knew that 0.o**

**Enjoy! :D**

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><p><em>They were in the Forbidden Forest, now. Dumbledore was breathing hard, back pressed to the bark or a large tree. Vesperia was nowhere to be found.<em>

_Remus could hear footsteps coming towards them from the opposite direction. Dumbledore drew his wand and waited a look of __fear__ on his face. Remus had seen a lot of different emotions cross Dumbledore's face during his past few years at Hogwarts-but he had never seen true __fear__ take residence on the Headmaster's angular features._

_Suddenly, through the tangled shrubs and brambles, a scraped-up looking teen in tattered school robes dashed past Dumbledore. Remus recognized the boy as one of the Champions of the Tri-Wizard Tournament._

_"What's __he__ doing here?" Remus whispered out of the side of his mouth to Selene._

_"This must be one of the Tasks in the competition!" Selene exclaimed excitedly. "But what's Dumbledore doing _here_! He's no Champion…"_

_"Yes, and what does this have to do with Vesperia!" Remus added. Selene shrugged, confused._

_A second student burst past them with flurry of trigs and branches._

_"I bet __he's__ from Durmstrang-he's quite pale, isn't he?" Selene observed of the young man running past Dumbledore's hiding place. "__Oh my God!"_

_"__What__!? What's wrong!?" Remus put Selene behind him protectively, ready to fend off danger. His wolf-senses were heightened, and he was now on edge._

_"__L-look at his __arm!__" __Selene said slowly, covering her eyes._

_"__What!" __Remus's eyes moved frantically._

_"__LOOK! Look, Remus!" __Selene pointed through the bushes in the direction from which the two students had just run._

_Remus looked, feeling a jolt of disgust and terror at what he saw before him._

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><p>Behind them was one of the most awful things that Remus had ever seen. It was a hoard…of <em>Vampires<em>. Seven in total.

Let us be clear-neither Remus nor Selene had ever seen an _actual_ vampire before. But they had both seen pictures of the beasts in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.

Remus had always hated judging people by there appearences (Being that he was a werewolf, he was particularly sensitive to being stereotyped), but as soon as he saw the coven of vampires running towards himself and Selene, he was quick to think of these people as monsters.

They were awful freaks of nature-their eyes turned bright violet by hunger and their desire for blood. Long, dark and matted hair flowed down their naked backs as they ran. Blood covered every part of their exposed flesh-it dripped across their pale foreheads-fell into their eyes. Remus shuddered in disgust at the monsters-instantly reminded of what he himself must look like on the night of a full moon.

But these creatures were unbelievably filthy…they were truly sickening to look at-chunks of human flesh clung to their incredibly large, pointed fangs. They're characteristically large red tongues dangled out of their mouths ad licked at the air as they howled wildly. But the most disturbing thing about the vampires was not their appearances - but their agility. They were terribly, terribly fast as they flew after the champion and Dumbledore, disappearing into the darkness.

At the sight of the vampires, Selene froze and hid her face in Remus's robes.

"Selene…it's okay…it's just a memory…" Recalling the sight of the fresh blood rolling down the beasts' faces, Remus felt bile rising up his throat. He quickly tried to think of happier things…like Selene's smile, and the Maruaders…

_The Maruaders._

Suddenly, Remus felt incredibly bad for breaking down and saying such awful things to his friends. Where were they right now? Were they angry at him? Were they looking for him!?

"_Remus_." Remus was jerked away from his thoughts of the Marauders.

"I'm sorry…are you alright, Selene?" He ran his hand through her hair in a calming motion.

"Yes. Yes, I believe so…but Remus…where's Dumbledore?"

The question struck Remus as strange. They were in Dumbledore's _memory_…so it would be impossible for Dumbledore to just _disappear._

"He…He _must _be around here somewhere, right?" Remus released Selene from his embrace, peering through the darkness.

"How far away are the vampires?" Selene whispered nervously.

"They were running pretty fast…also, I can't hear their shrieking anymore…they must be quite a ways away by now…" Remus checked for Dumbledore behind a thicket of bushes.

"He ran that way, right?" Selene pointed in the direction in which the vampires had run. "We might as well go in that direction."

"Yeah…" Remus said, as they began walking through the darkened forest. He felt Selene's hand slither down his arm and intertwine with his own. "Now, remember...in class we learned that Vampires have extremely keen senses of smell…and their fast. So, it would be nearly impossible for a normal man to outrun them."

"But you forget," Selene said, eyes aglow in the darkness, "That Albus-_er-Bryant_ Dumbledore is no ordinary man."

Remus smiled at her teasing tone. "True."

They walked in silence for a few moments before they heard Dumbeldore's hushed voice-whispering urgently from the shadows of a clearing.

"_Sh! You must remain quiet! Razvan!" _

A moment later, Dumbledore materialized in the middle of the clearing, pressing his wand to the young Durmstrang student's bloody arm.

_"Who-who are you!? Vat is happening?"_ The young Durmstrang boy-Razvan's-eyes were wild as he tried to tare himself away from Dumbledore's grasp.

"_SH!_ _Rasvan…I'm here to help you! Now let me complete this healing spell…"_ Dumbledore swished his want across Razvin's sleeve, sewing the torn skin back together underneath his clothes.

"_My name is Bryant Dumbledore and I am here on an important mission sanctioned by the future Ministry of Magic. I am here to save your life. A long time from now, there is social unrest between different magical countries over your death here at Hogwarts, and I am here to prevent that death from occurring on Hogwartian (British) soil. So please-bear with me and stop fighting with me! Your life and _ our_ future depends on it!"_

Razvin did not cease in his struggle.

_"You're…you're a crazy man!" He called out in a whispered cry, his accent heavy and foreign._

_ "Yes. I am crazy. Now let me save your life!" _And with a second swish of his want, Dumbledore cloaked Razvin and himself in a strong invisibility spell.

"_We need to remain out of sight until the vampires are out of range! I can only keep this spell up for so long…so you must be quiet and let me concentrate!"_

Remus and Selene looked around frantically, trying to acertain the now-invisible Dumbledore's whereabouts.

"Remus!" Selene cried as the memory mist swam into the scene again and the two gave up looking for Dumbledore. "Remus! _That_ was Dumbledore's mission! To save the kid who died during the Tri-Wizard tornament a while back! That death caused a huge rift between the magical schools and around the world! IF Dumbledore amends this…the world could be a whole different place!" She excitedly smiled up at Remus.

"Selene…if Dumbeldore had stopped that man from dying…we would never have known about there being a death in the Tri-Wizard tournament in the first place…Think about it. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is still banned. The countries are still on uneasy terms.

Selene's face fell.

"So you're saying…?"

"Yes, Dumbledore failed."


	35. You Are My Sunshine

**Hello, All! Here's yet another chapter of Spiraling Love 3**

**This one focuses more on the Lily/James aspect-something I've recently strayed away from. Sometimes the story just twists and turns in different directions and I stray away from the main plot line :) But I'm not complaining-I love feeling inspired to write so many different, intertwining plots! I love letting my imagination roam free :D So...without further ado...enjoy the latest spiraling installment of my little story!**

**Love,**

*****Disclaimer***-The World of Harry Potter and all of it's characters belong to J.K. Rowling...I own absolutely nothing accept my own ideas! **

**Enjoy! **

**And Review Review Review! 3**

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><p>Lily felt awful. In the span of a few hours she had both broken Snape's heart and permanently cut off their friendship.<p>

She looked up at James sadly through her light red hair. He caught her gaze and then perceptively glanced at Sirius.

"Lily…do you want to talk?"

They were on opposite sides of the room-waiting for Dumbledore to return. Sirius sat next to James in front of Dumbledore's desk-to the right of the Pensieve. Lily sat in the opposite corner, her arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She shivered.

"Y-yes. That would be nice."

James turned to Sirius. "Tell Dumbledore we're going off to bed?"

"Yeah. I'll do that." Sirius said thoughtfully. "And then I think I might ask Dumbledore where Remus has gone-I believe that I need to have a chat with our dear Moony."

James's eyes widened knowingly. "Are you sure that that's a good idea?" He asked, knowing that Sirius's confession of love for Remus could possibly destroy the Marauders.

James quickly shook the thought from his mind, realizing how selfish he was being. Sirius was his best mate-and Sirius deserved to be happy.

"I figure that the sooner I tell him, the better…" Sirius grinned cheekily, but James could tell that he was extremely nervous.

"Alright, mate. Good luck." James managed to smile back as he walked over to Lily and helped her out of her chair.

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><p>"What was that all about?" Lily asked James as the two walked out into the corridor.<p>

"Oh, nothing. Just some Marauder business…" James tried to play the conversation off as if it was of no importance.

"It definitely seemed like something important…Sirius looked really anxious." Lily looked up at James, concerned.

_Damn her perceptiveness._ James thought as he wrapped an arm around the beautiful girl walking beside him.

"Well…you see…Sirius just needs some relationship advice…from Remus." James was grasping at straws now, desperately trying to put together a plausible excuse and utterly failing at it.

"Sirius Black…relationship advice…_from Remus Lupin!?_" Lily laughed incredulously. James's heartbeat quickened with nervousness as he silently begged her to believe his story. "It must be a really bookish girl for Sirius to feel the need to ask _Remus_ for help!" She laughed.

James exhaled. "Yeah…you've got that right."

"Who is it?" Lily asked excitedly. "Is it Meredith Drawlery!? Or Anna Abbernathy? They're both Ravenclaws…always stuck in the library. Anna has a nice smile…maybe that's who Sirius is after?" Lily smiled shakily up at James.

"Sorry, Lils…my lips are sealed. Marauder policy. Sorry." He smiled down at her and bent down to kiss her on the cheek.

He pulled on her hand-leading her up to the astronomy tower.

"This is one of my favorite places to be at night…" James's voice took on a softer tone. "What's up Lily? You seemed really upset ever since you came back from talking to Snivellu-I mean-err…Snape."

As they climbed the last few steps and walked out into the open air, Lily considered not telling him. She almost decided to lock away all of her secrets about Sev. Maybe she could just kiss James until he forgot about her sadness.

But that would be wrong. And if there was one thing that Lily Evans was-she was truthful.

"I broke his heart, James." She whispered quietly. "I just feel like an awful human being."

James looked at Lily-his beautiful Lily Evans…the girl who had turned his charms homework into a butterfly in third year. The girl who had refused his advances and always nagged him about his pranks. The girl who had stolen his heart from the first moment that he had seen her. She was definitely not an awful person. She was the most beautiful human being that he had ever met-she was wonderful inside and out.

He looked at Lily Evans, and pulled her into a tight hug. He had grown so much over the past few years. While they had once been the same height in their first year, he now towered over her by about a foot and a half. Her face was pressed against his muscular chest.

James stroked his fingers through Lily's soft red hair, holding her close as she sniffled into his chest.

"He was my best friend." She said in a muffled voice. "And he loves me."

"Lily…shh…it's alright…" James whispered comforting words, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I never wanted to hurt him…but I-I…I don't feel the same way…_so why do I hurt!?_" She cried a bit harder, and James wasn't quite sure what to do.

"_James…I want to be with you…_" She whispered. "_And I like you so damn much…but I just feel so awful for hurting Severus like that…the way he looked at me after I told him I didn't feel the same way…the way his eyes just looked…b-b-broken…"_

"Lily, stop." James said firmly, continuing to run his fingers through her hair. "This is not your fault. You don't feel the same way for Severus. That's the thing about love, Lily-you have to put your feelings out for everyone to see-and it's hard, and there's always a chance that the other person won't love you back. Severus knew that. _I_ know that."

"_James…what if _this…_what if _we_…aren't meant to be?"_

"Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith, and hope that everything works out. Right now we're both leaping…and if we're meant to be, we'll know. Everything will fall into place. And if we're not…" James bit his tongue. "And if we're not…I'm going to have to listen to Sirius saying "I told you so" for the rest of my life."

Lily giggled a bit at that last part.

After that, there were a few moments of silence between them as James hugged Lily close, and Lily attempted to stem the flow of tears pouring down her cheeks.

"God you're eloquent." She sniffled into his chest, smiling.

"I can be pretty cool when I want to be." He smiled back kissing her forehead. "Hey Lily?"

"Y-yeah?" She hiccupped.

"You know…you are my sunshine."

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><p><strong>Soooo...what'd y'all think? :)<strong>

**Please Review! It would mean sooo much to me to here some feedback from all of you lovely people! :)**

**Happy Thanksgiving! 3**


	36. The Sunshine Insecurity

**Hey Guys and Girls! Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! :D**

**Enjoy this little chapter of Spiraling Love! I love to write for you all!**

**As always, please please pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssseeeeeee review? That'd mean the world to me! Let me know your thoughts and ideas and such! **

*****Disclaimer***-Nothing from the Harry Potter world belongs to me! **

**Stay wonderful!**

**Love,**

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><p>"<em>You are my sunshine."<em> Gosh, did those words sound beautiful as they reverberated through Lily Evans's mind-ringing out through the silence of the pale moon's light.

_Sunshine._ It was a wonderfully musical word-filled with hope and promise. The idea of brightness and fiery passion flowed through Lily's mind as she hugged James close.

"_You are my sunshine." _ He had claimed her as his own-she was his and he was hers. It was not only a statement of affection-but a statement of ownership.

At the thought of being owned…Lily's heart suddenly faltered.

She did not want to be a simple belonging.

She did not want to be a convenience that could be indulged at the owner's leisure.

She remembered the time she had spent with Severus. She recalled the way he had looked at her throughout the years-as if he had owned her. As if she were a delicate rarity to be possessed.

It was those instances when Lily had feared Severus a bit-feared what he could become someday. She had feared becoming an object to Severus, and that was why she was so reserved presently.

She did not want James to abuse the power that she had given him over her. She had revealed her true feelings for him and feared that he would use those feelings to change her-make her someone that she did not want to be.

Make her un-Lily-like.

...

And yet-Lily realized that the way that James had said that sentence…when he had said those words he was not planting a flag on Lily's head and claiming her as his own. No. James was simply and beautifully re-affirming their emotional tie.

By calling her his, James Potter was showing Lily Evans that she was the most important person in his life-that he cared about her.

She really, truly hoped that James was as wonderful as he seemed.

Lily looked down at the toes of her worn Mary-Janes, content.

It was oftly wonderful to be cherished by someone-especially if that someone was James Potter.

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><p><strong>Please let me know what you're thinking! Review! :D<strong>

**Have a great long weekend! **

**Stay wonderful!**

**Love,**


	37. The Last Time I Saw You Cry

**Here's another short chapter guys! :D Enjoy and please review!**

*****Disclaimer***I own nothing. The Harry Potter world and it's characters belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros, etc.**

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><p>"I hate it when you cry." James whispered into Lily's hair.<p>

Lily laughed through her tears, "But you've never seen my cry before…"

"Not true!" James protested. "Remember that time in third year…when you completely freaked out right before the Defense Against the Dark Arts class? You were so stressed out about that exam on werewolves and countercurses-you just burst into tears while waiting your turn to take the practical."

Lily paused, racking her brain for some memory of the occurence. Suddenly, a vague shadow of a memory scrolled through her brain. It matched the description that James had given her perfectly.

"T-that's right…now I remember…" Lily smiled as James tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ears.

He smoothed is hand over her shoulders and whispered, "Do you remember what I said to you as you were crying?"

It took Lily a second to recall the memory…that had been _years _ago! But, then again, it was probably one of the first genuinely nice things that James Potter had said to Lily during their time at Hogwarts.

"Yes." She said, a bit breathless.

"And what did I say?" James asked, holding her at arms length so that he could see her expression.

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><p><strong>Third Year.<strong>

_Lily Evans had been studying for weeks-but there was just something about werewolves that confused her. She could tell the difference between a werewolf and a normal human, she could read the moon cycles like a pro, but she was unable to perform any of the protection spells that their teacher had taught her._

"_If confronting a werewolf," Professor Maywidge had said, "Always aim for the eyes, mouth or belly. These are the most sensitive places of the wolf. I recommend a nice blasting curse or a fire-throwing charm."_

_And so, Lily had practiced the two spells, among others, for weeks….and could not perform a single one._

_She knew all the theories, but in practice-she was an absolute failure. She hung her head over her books miserably as she stood outside the Defense Against the Dark Art's classroom door, awaiting her turn to take the practical portion of Professor Maywidge's werewolf exam._

_She was one of the last to take the exam on the sign-up list (she had wanted to give herself as much time as possible to study), and there was only one student taking the exam after her…_James. Freaking. Potter.

_As if waiting to take the test wasn't worse_ enough, _she was going to have to endure five minutes of Potter's ridiculous antics when she could be studying. _

_Lily slumped down against the classroom door, hoping to get a few more moments of studying in before Potter showed up._

_She turned to one of the first pages of her study guide-the one on fire curses. _

_At this point, Lily was so overly-tired and stressed that she just burst into tears as soon as she read the word "_fire."

She covered her eyes with her hands _how was she going to pass the practical!? What if she became a failure-what would her mother think!? What would her future employer thing of her!?_

_And so, Lily Evans cried even harder-so hard that she did not even here the footsteps coming slowly towards her._

"_Alright, Evans?" Said James Potter, his voice filled with genuine concern._

"_Bugger off, Potter." Lily choked out through her tears._

"_Gosh, Lily, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay…you're not hurt, are you?" He quickly scanned over her with his eyes-looking for evidence of cuts or bruises or spells gone wrong._

"_I-it's just stress…" Lily managed to get out out, attempting to re-gain her composure. _Why was he being so nice?

"_Oh, Lily…" James Potter sat down next to her, arms resting on his knees. Unlike Lily, he had not a book on him. His hair was disheveled and standing on-end (as usual), and his glasses were hanging off of the tip of his nose. He looked so gangly that Lily almost wanted to giggle. She settled for a half-hearted sigh instead._

"_Lily…you're going to rock this test. I know you-you're strong and smart. You'll get through this practical without any effort, I'll bet." He said the words confidently, grinning his trademark jack-o-lantern grin. "And for what it's worth…you're even pretty when you cry-"_

"_Miss Evans!" The overly polite voice of Professor Maywidge cut off James from the other side of the door. "It is your turn! Enter, if you please!" _

_Lily stared at James for a few moments, startled at the teasing boy's unnaturally well-meaning behavior, yet comforted by the warmth of his words._

"_Thank you." Lily said in a sort-of-strangled voice, wiping off her face and striding confidently forward into the dim Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom._

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><p>Lily repeated what James had said to her all those years ago.<p>

"I had almost forgotten about that…" Lily said as James pulled her into a hug once again. "I passed the exam, you know." She smiled.

"Of course you did, Lily. I never had a doubt in my mind about you."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, everyone! Please Review! :D<strong>


	38. The Woman of In-Between

**Hello Lovlies! **

**I'm so sorry that I've been gone for so long! If you are still keeping up with this story, thank you times a billion! If you are new around these parts, welcome! And thank you a billion as well! This story has brought me so much joy over the past few years, and I can only hope to share that joy with y'all!**

**Hope that all is well and that your holidays were/are pleasant! I love all of you dearly, and hope you enjoy this particularly Spirally chapter!**

**I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters-everything except for this plot and Vesperia and some of the ideas and random things belong to J.K. Rowling! She's the bombdiggity! 3**

**Much love,**

**Fearless Stargazer**

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><p>"Vesperia…" Severus looked up into the Angel's cloudy eyes. "Why are you here with me? Are you dead? Or are you dying as well?"<p>

Vesperia thoughtfully patted Sev's hand.

"Severus…" She trailed off dreamily, turning her face upwards to take in the shimmering rays of sunlight. "I am here because you needed guidance. You called me to this place because you needed someone."

She intertwined her fingers with his own and squeezed gently. "I have long ago lost touch with the world of the living…but sometimes I get to make little excursions like these to the land of the in-between. It's a rare gift to speak to someone who is still alive."

"But I'm d-d-dying, aren't I?" Sev's hand felt comfortable in Vesperia's. His quick pulse began to slow and relax.

"That's it…take in the sun, Severus! Relax! We have time, still!" Vesperia seemed to not have heard his question.

"I'm dying." Severus quietly pulled his hand from Vesperia's grasp, allowing it to comb nervously though his greasy black locks. "Or maybe I'm already dead. You're an Angel of some kind and you're here to calm me down and tell me that I'm dead. I guess at least I didn't end up burning in Hell. I've had enough fire for a lifetime…"

"Severus…Severus Tobias Snape!" Vesperia drew Sev to her in an awkward hug. "You still have time! The choice is yours-you can live, love! You just have to choose life."

"I have a choice?" His voice was muffled in the fabric of Vesperia's gown as she held him.

"Of course! You can choose to fight the poison, love! There are people on your side…" Vesperia sniffled. "There are very, very wonderful people fighting with you at this very moment-and it is up to you to fight alongside them!"

"P-people are fighting _with_ me?" Severus asked, confused. He raised his thick black eyebrows in confusion as Vesperia rubbed her hand comfortingly across his shoulders.

"I believe that you are in a hospital of some kind…you have a great many people by your side to heal you. That's why I'm here…" She sniffled and drew him closer so that her lips were at his ear.

She whispered slowly and clearly into Sev's pale, lanky teenage ear. Her breath tickled his skin and he could barely feel her soft pink lips as they traced across his light flesh.

"_Severus, listen to me. You must make a choice. You can choose to fight and live…or you can choose to die and spend all of eternity wondering what it would be like if you had chosen to live."_

"O-Okay." He responded softly. He felt that he should be worried about his future and his death and all of the important pressing matters of choices and flame. However, he had something else at the forefront of his brilliant brain-the unwavering attraction that he felt towards this gorgeous blind woman who held him tightly.

Suddenly becoming aware of the awkwardly long hug that she had forced Sev into, Vesperia quickly drew away from the boy. She felt at her wrist for something. Pushing up her sleeve, she revealed a beautiful wristwatch with a thin, golden band.

"Love, would you please read off the time for me?" She nervously traced the edges of the timepiece.

"Y-yeah, sure. It's half past three. Vesperia-you never r-really answered why you are the one providing me with guidance? Why not one of my deceased relatives? Or someone who died of poisoning-did you die of poison as well?"

"Goodness, gracious! Severus-there is no time for such questions! You must make your choice, love!" Her voice was strained and had taken on a higher pitch. "I'm here because you need me! You're soul called out to me-but I was also sent for by someone special. One of your protectors and I used to be very close…and he reaches across worlds for me from time to time when he needs my help…Severus, love, stop crying! You have to decide now!" Vesperia looked down at him sternly. "This is all I can tell you-now please! You must decide whether you are the tinder fueling the fire or the phoenix rising from it! Choose now, Severus!" She was practically yelling now.

Severus recoiled, collecting his thoughts as this insanely attractive woman ordered him to make one of the most important choices of his existence. He took a slow, calming breath before standing.

"Vesperia…You know that I would like to live…but it will be so hard! I can never have Lily now-I can never give her the love that she deserves! The love that has been housed dormant in my heart for years on end, aching to be set free like a dove in a cage! She is absolutely _everything _to me! She is the brightest star in the sky and the brightest glimmer on the sea's horizon! _She is everything. She is my dream_." Severus stood, panting. His eyes were filled with a wild, feral sort of energy that is typically solely possessed by rabid dogs.

Vesperia stood as well, and took a step towards him. She came close so that their noses were nearly touching. Her eyebrows were knit together and a scowl mottled her beautiful face.

"_Find. A. New. Dream._" She whispered, all pretense of niceness gone. "_You must live, Severus." _She hissed with rage.

"You have so much going for you in your life, do not waste it away! _You_ _are important._ You are loved and you have allies! Now choose life, Severus! It is the _only way_."

Sev looked deep into her sightless eyes, gulping back fear and raw emotion. He knew what the correct choice was-what it had always been. Vesperia may have sugarcoated it at first, but now she was no longer beating around the bush. She was flat out telling him what his choice needed to be.

"A-alright…" Severus stuttered out-his mouth felt dry like cotton, his tongue heavy like lead. "I-I would like to live. Tell me what I must do to fight the p-p-poison…" His words sank into the air like a heavy piano in quicksand.

Vesperia's angry face cleared-it was like sunshine breaking through clouds. She smiled softly.

"_Yes. We can do this_." She whispered through her teeth as she grinned like a jack-o-lantern. "Come, love! There is much to do!"

She pulled him towards the pond, tugging at his large, bat-like sleeves.

"Where are we g-going?" Sev fearfully stumbled forward in her wake, tripping over loose rocks and brambles.

"We must go in the water!" Vesperia helpfully called out behind her.

"_In_ the what-?" Severus stopped speaking as his bear toes touched the cool water at the shoreline.

"Yes." Vesperia nodded, releasing his sleeve as she glided ahead into the pond. "This is how we will save you!" Her French accent became thicker as her voice shook with excitement.

"You're crazy!" Sev spat, forgetting that he was no longer in the physical world.

"I haven't done this in years-decades, even!" Vesperia called out excitedly, ignoring Severus's yelps of protest. She lifted the edges of her long blue skirts before the water could soak and eat away at them, revealing two pale, perfectly shaped feet.

Tentatively, Vesperia pulled her right foot out of the water, bringing the pad of her foot to rest on the bright reflective surface of the water. She shifted all of her weight to her right side, drawing her left foot out of the cool blue to follow its sister.

Severus watched in disbelief as he rested both feet on top of the water…she was _walking on the water's surface!"_

She closed her eyes and took a few gliding, elegant steps. She held her arms out and twirled-sending ripples springing around the surface of the small pond.

"_It's still like walking on a rainstorm, Albus…"_ She whispered softly, so that Severus could not hear. She twirled back around and held out her hands to the slim, dying boy.

"Take my hands, love. Do not be afraid-we only have a short distance that we must walk." She smiled comfortingly as Sev tentatively placed his hands in hers. "Now place your feet on the tops of the ripples…"

Vesperia instructed him carefully as Severus awkwardly balanced his bare feet on the Spinner Pond's glimmering surface. He looked down at his feet, eyes glowing with amazement as he watched the water support his skinny weight. A giggle of joy rose up in his throat and he had to steal a hand away from Vesperia's in order to squelch the sound. He pressed his palm to his mouth, smiling as he kept his other hand interlocked with Vesperia's.

Once again, all thoughts of death and the current situation faded away. He stared into Vesperia's face, marveling at the way her classic; elegant beauty reminded him of fair Lily Evans. It was as if Severus was a kid again, playing a game of magic with his tiny redheaded companion. They were testing the limits of their powers-who could walk on the water's top the longest!? It was a game, and Lily was showing Sev the ropes.

He could hear her soft laugh in his mind as he slipped his other hand back into Vesperia's. He felt the radiance of Lily's smile as Vesperia guided him to take a step towards the pond's center. He reveled in the beauty of the moment, seeing every freckle and fleck Lily-esque joy clearly in his mind's eye.

"We are hear, love." Vesperia's musical tones were deeper and richer than Lily's delicate voice. The quick words snapped Severus back to the goal at hand-_living._ HE gazed around him, Vesperia had guided him to the center of the pond. He looked out around him, taking in the flecks of light that danced through the trees as day turned to twilight. Tiny fireflies and mosquitos stretched their wings lazily, spinning in clouds around the ponds' edge. He could see his little house's roof peaking through the treetops to his right. Severus had never felt so at peace with his little world.

"Alright, Severus. This is where we shall part ways…" Vesperia sadly drew him into one last, quick hug before kissing both of his cheeks. Each peck was lightening-fast, but left a lovely warm blush upon each of Sev's cheeks.

"Where are you going!? D-don't leave me!" Severus suddenly felt childlike and alone, but he did not care. "I don't want you to go! Stay-please?"

A few glistening tears fell down Vesperia's face. "This is the part that I hate, love. I adore being a guide and helping people through trials and choices in this place of in-between. But I'm not good at goodbyes…" She wiped the stray tears from her cloudy eyes.

"I know that this will be difficult, Severus…but it is a journey that you must take alone. I believe in you, love. _You can do this."_ She held his chin in the palm of her soft hand for a moment. "I want you to do two things for me, Severus. _Please_."

Severus stared at Vesperia sadly, his eyes begging her to stay with him forever.

"Love…_fight. Fight_ this poison and this sadness as you've never fought anything or anyone before. Pretend that this poison is your worst enemy in a duel to the death. I want you to believe that this poison is a person-a being. It is evil and vile and it is time for you to sever the poison's connection to your body-force it out like a demon! Exorcise your bloodstream and cleanse your flesh! I know that you can do this…so, for me, please _fight._" Vesperia's impassioned words hit Severus hard as he watched her cry unabashedly. The smooth ripples of the water lapped at the pads of his feet, and he squeezed Vesperia's hands as a silent promise that, _yes_, he would fight for her!

"And the second thing…" Vesperia turned her face away from Severus a bit, but clutched his hands a bit tighter. "Send my love to Albus…_please_." Her thin, quavering smile folded into a frown, and the tears flowed thickly down her cheeks. "Tell him that I believe in him as well-tell him to find the book. Can you do all that, my love?" She turned back to face him, smiling shakily as he took in the gravity of her requests, hearing the longing and heartbreak in her musical voice. "Was that too much at once? We're almost out of time, so the second thing is not as important…"

"_No_. _Of course I'll do that for you. I'll do anything for you."_ Severus whispered fiercely, looking up into her sightless eyes with devotion and…dare I even write it…_love_.

Vesperia's face broke out into a full smile. She laughed joyfully, tears still streaming down her perfect porcelain cheeks.

"Thank you! _Thankyouthankyouthankyou!_" She jumped up and down on the watertop, squeezing his hands over and over in case her verbal acknowledgments were not expressive enough.

Vesperia stepped back a bit, but did not let go of Severus's hands. She took a few deep, shaking breaths to calm the flow of sobs hidden in the back of her throat.

Raising their joined hands above her head, Vesperia sighed. "Our time is up now, love…But don't fret…we'll see one another again someday. _Fight for me."_

She smiled, causing Severus to smile along with her as she raised her arms even higher before bringing them quickly down in a single, fluid motion.

As their arms soared towards the ground, Severus felt the film of water supporting his body weight disappear from beneath him. His stomach dropped as he plunged into the deep, watery depths of the pond-his eyes fluttering through the darkness. His robes became soaked and weighed him down even more. He groped through the falling and the darkness and the crushing cold for Vesperia's hands-but his fingertips could feel nothing but gallons upon gallons of water.

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><p><strong>That's it for this chapter! Thoughts of any kind? Recommendations? Weird things that you don't understandthink could be improved? **

**Please comment, I love feedback!**

**Enjoy your night/day and go on magical adventures! Let your love spiral! :)**


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